Quantitative determination of thebaine in Papaver bracteatum by high-pressure liquid chromatography

Micronization of Thebaine Extracted from Papaver Bracteatum Lindl. Using Supercritical Fluid Technology

BACKGROUND

Thebaine, as a main opiate alkaloid extracted from papaveraceae plants, is widely used in the synthesis of many pharmaceutical ingredients such as buprenorphine, naltrexone, naloxone, and hydrocodone. Nevertheless, thebaine and related derivatives are often insoluble in aqueous media and have low bioavailability in digestive system.

OBJECTIVE

Reducing particle size and changing the morphology can mitigate the mentioned problem. In this study, extraction of thebaine from the capsule, steam, and root of Papaver bracteatum L. was optimized and micronization of extract components was developed to study of solubility.

METHODS

Extraction process was performed using supercritical carbon dioxide. Experimental central composite design was employed to determine the optimal conditions. Analysis of extract was done using validated HPLC method and mass spectrometry. Micronization process was performed using an inhouse developed supercritical technique. The nanoparticles were characterized using FESEM and Image J software. The Effect of micronization was explored on the solubility of extract components via ultraviolet spectroscopy.

RESULTS

The percentage of thebaine in dried capsule, steam, and root powder was about 1.05%, 0.31, and 0.83% respectively. The extraction results indicated that supercritical pressure has the greatest effect on the extraction yield. Analysis of FESEM images revealed that nanoparticles of extract components with particle size distribution of 5 to 100 nm were collected successfully.

CONCLUSIONS

The extraction results indicated that pressure has the greatest effect on the extraction yield. In vitro studies illustrated that the solubility of extract components increased up to 1.7 times during the micronization process.

HIGHLIGHTS

Expansion of supercritical methods as an effective method was performed for extracting and preparing alkaloids nanoparticles. This process led to improved oral bioavailability of alkaloids.

Altered gene expression and root thebaine production in polyploidized and methyl jasmonate-elicited Papaver bracteatum Lindl

Persian poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl.) is a perennial medicinal plant belonging to the Papaveraceae family that is endemic to the mountainous areas in Northern Iran. It is known for high amounts of the valuable benzylisoquinoline alkaloid thebaine. The effects of induced polyploidy as well as the effect of methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) elicitation on the root production of thebaine and on the expression of five alkaloid biosynthesis related genes were studied. The in vitro tetraploidy induction caused a significant increased expression of norcoclaurine synthase (NCS) and salutaridinol (SAT), and a significant decreased expression of berberine bridge enzyme (BBE) in the leaves. In the root tissues, the BBE, NCS, and SAT showed an increased expression in tetraploid plants, while codeinone reductase (COR) showed a decreased expression. A similar alteration pattern was found in mixoploid plants when compared to their diploid counterparts. MeJA at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mM caused a remarkable increase in the thebaine content in the roots of treated plants, where the highest thebaine content was identified in plants elicited with 0.5 mM MeJA. Elicitation treatment caused a substantial increase in the expression of NCS and SAT in the leaves, while it had no major effect on BBE, codeine 3-O-demethylase (CODM) and COR. Expression analysis in the roots showed that MeJA caused a significant increase in the expression of only BBE and NCS, while expression of other studied genes remained unchanged. Our results may be exploited for improved thebaine production and the processing of Persian poppy.

Separation of eight alkaloids and meconic acid and quantitation of five principal alkaloids in gum opium by gradient reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The separation of the five principal alkaloids (morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine and papaverine), three minor alkaloids (laudanosine, cryptopine and narceine), meconic acid and some unidentified constituents in gum opium samples has been achieved on a reversed-phase phenyl column by gradient high-performance liquid chromatography using a simple and inexpensive mobile phase system. The linear gradient programme was started at 5% and ended at 70% methanol in triethylammonium phosphate buffer in 20 min. The five principal alkaloids were also determined with good precision. The method requires minimum sample preparation and is suitable for routine analysis.

Colorimetric determination of thebaine in Papaver bracteatum

A rapid colorimetric test for the determination of thebaine in dried, extracted Papaver bracteatum is described. The method is based on the development of an orange color formed by the nitroso color reaction for phenols. The absorption peak is near 450 nm. The linear range response is from 0 to 1.0 mg of thebaine. The reproducibility of the method is quite good, making it useful for process evaluation and in a selection program for the cultivation of P. bracteatum for optimum thebaine content.