181 Article ISSN 0102-695X doi: 10.1590/S0102-695X2011005000027 Received 21 Sep 2009 Accepted 18 Aug 2010 Available online 4 Mar 2011 Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy 21(1): 181-186, Jan./Feb. 2011 Technological development of aqueous extracts from Calycophyllum spruceanum (mulateiro) using factorial design Leidyana M. da Costa, Viviane A. dos Santos, Débora T. Ohana, Emerson S. Lima, Maria de M. Pereira, Tatiane P. de Souza * Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Brazil. Abstract: The aim of the present work is to characterize the vegetal raw material of the Calycophyllum spruceanum (Benth.) Hook. f. ex K. Schum., Rubiaceae, known as “mulateiro”, and to evaluate the influence of extractive parameters for attainment of standardized aqueous extractive solutions. The physical-chemical characterization of the samples was performed using pharmacopoeic and not pharmacopoeic methodologies. A 2 3 factorial design was used to evaluate the influence of extraction techniques (infusion/decoction), drug: solvent ratio (2.5 and 7.5%), and extraction time (5 and 15 min) on the total tannin content of aqueous extractive solutions from C. spruceanum. The extractive solution that showed higher total tannin and dry residue content had their physical-chemical characteristics determined. The results suggest that an aqueous extractive solution from rinds of C. spruceanum barks with higher tanning yield (9.9 g%), must be standardized using decoction as extraction methodology, with 2.5% of vegetal drug for an extraction time of 15 min. The results of the physical- chemical characterization suggest that environmental factors modify the properties of this species and, therefore, they can influence the quality and security of a product derived from this medicinal plant. Keywords: mulateiro physicial-chemical characterization extractive solution Calycophyllum spruceanum Introduction The acceptance of the use of natural products by the ordinary population, in addition to the general dissatisfaction regarding the safety and cost of conventional medicines, are among the factors contributing to the increasing consumption of herbal medicines (Marques, 1992). In this context, the researches aimed at developing pharmaceutical forms containing products derived from medicinal plants, with eficacy, safety and constant quality have gained a growing number of researchers all over the world and especially in Brazil (Petrovick et al., 1997). The quality control of a product involves several steps ranging from the gathering of raw material, through the entire production process, culminating with the analysis of the inal product. According to Farias (2001), the quality of the raw material does not guarantee the effectiveness of products, but is an important factor. Vegetable species belonging to the Rubiaceae family are important as a source of economic and therapeutic value (Di Stasi, 2002). Among these species we can cite the Calycophyllum spruceanum (Benth.) Hook. f. ex K. Schum., Rubiaceae, generally known as “mulateiro”, a native tree from the Amazon region, which can also be found in Colombia (capirona) Bolivia (guayabochi) and Peru (capirona black) (Estrella, 1995). In the Amazon the “mulateiro” bark is used in poultice form as an anti-inlammatory, antifungal, healing and rejuvenating agent (Almeida, 2003). In Peru it is used to treat eye infections. In Paraguay it is used to treat diabetes and in Colombia it is used against parasites and skin diseases (Revilla, 2001). Studies performed with isolated secoiridoids from ethanol extract of C. spruceanum presented anti-trypomastigote in vitro activity (Portillo & Villa, 2001). Due to the no elucidation of the compounds responsible for the therapeutic activity of this species, the tannins can be used as chemical markers for quality control, considering several reports regarding possible healing and anti-inlammatory attributes related to these substances (Viana et al., 1997; Matos, 2004). The lack of studies intended to determine the physical-chemical and technological properties of this species, as well as factors that inluence these properties resulting in extractive processes that interfere with the quality, effectiveness and safety of the proposed use. Therefore, it is necessary that accurate studies be performed in order to obtain a standardized extractive solution. The factorial design is a statistical tool used for process optimization in a rapid and economic way, as well as maximization of the inal product quality. Besides, the mathematical model enables reliable results (Soares, 1998). Aiming to obtain a standardized extractive solution, the goal of this work was to evaluate