Abstract
The contents of caffeine, theophylline and theobromine were studied in 100 plants commercialized in Brazil to investigate new sources of these compounds, and evaluate the consumption of these compounds when these plants are used as infusions (teas). Therefore, two extraction methods were performed, one used an ethanol solution and one used an aqueous infusion process. The extracts were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography. White, green, and black tea (Camellia sinensis) and yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) can be considered as potential sources of both caffeine and theobromine. Boldo (Peumus boldus) was a source of theobromine, and small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata), stonebreaker (Phylantus niruri), cow’s foot (Bauhinia forficata) and calendula (Calendula officinalis) presented the highest contents of theophylline. This study highlighted herbs not yet investigated for these compounds. The results obtained may be useful in future studies to evaluate the use of these plants as sources of methylxanthines in foods or drugs.
Highlights
Methylxanthines are heterocyclic compounds derived from xanthine, characterized by the combination of an imidazole ring and pyrimidinedione, known as purine alkaloids
Paech et al (2016) administered caffeine to adults who were kept awake for 50 hours; the results showed that the individuals who received caffeine presented a lower reduction of performance when compared with the control group; they did not observe any reduction in the sensation of sleep and tiredness
The objective of this study was to quantify theobromine, theophylline and caffeine in herbs commercialized in Brazil, searching for new sources of methylxanthines, and to estimate the consumption of these compounds when these plants are used for the preparation of infusions
Summary
Methylxanthines are heterocyclic compounds derived from xanthine, characterized by the combination of an imidazole ring and pyrimidinedione, known as purine alkaloids. These compounds are naturally present in products such as cocoa, coffee, teas and some medicinal herbs. Beverages, such as cola and guarana based soft drinks, contain methylxanthines. Seven methylxanthines have been identified; caffeine, theobromine and theophylline are the most common types (Brunetto et al, 2007; Onãtibia-Astibia et al, 2016; Zacharis et al, 2013). Other actions of caffeine include reduced incidence of dyspraxia in children (Doyle et al, 2014), suppressed evolution of glioblastoma (Cheng et al, 2016), and protection against neurodegeneration caused by Parkinson’s disease (Xu et al, 2016)
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