Research article summary (published 8 May 2008):

The content of secondary phenol metabolites in pruned leaves of Aloe arborescens, a comparison between two methods: leaf exudates and leaf water extract.

Full Abstract

Aloe arborescens plants, originating from the deserts of South Africa, are grown in the Introduction Garden at Sede Boker in the Negev Desert of Israel. In previous studies, we developed agro-technical methods to raise the content of secondary phenol metabolites (SPhMs) in the Aloe leaves. Plants that are subjected to repeated leaf pruning respond by increasing the content of their SPhMs. The SPhMs found in Aloe arborescens include barbaloin, aloenin and derivatives of aloeresin. Such compounds are used for many purposes, including human skin protection from sun and fire burns and high radiation, as products of the pharmaceutics and cosmetics industries, and as food supplements for treating stomach ulcers and diabetes. In the current study, the SPhMs were separated from pruned leaves of the same A. arborescens plants at the same time by two methods: (1) exudation by squeezing the tissues of the leaves, (2) immersion of the leaves' pruned cut bottom in water and collection of the extract. The exudates and extract were frozen, freeze-dried to a powder and the SPhMs were then separated by chromatography. The yield of powder from water extraction from pruned leaves was much lower than the yield from the exudates. However, higher percentages of the powder from the water extraction contained SPhMs (between 80 and 92.7%). The content of powder in leaf exudates from pruned leaves was much higher because the SPhMs were squeezed out from the cells and tissues. However, the percentages of SPhMs in this powder were much lower (between 39 and 62%).

Author information

Author/s: Gutterman, Yitzchak (Y); Chauser-Volfson, Elena (E);

Affiliation: Unit for Ecophysiology and Introduction of Desert Plants, Wyler Department of Dry-land Agriculture, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boker Campus, 84990, Beersheba, Israel. gutterma(-atsign-)bgumail.bgu.ac.il

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Journal of natural medicines (J Nat Med), published in Japan. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Oct; vol 62 (issue 4) : pp 430-5

Dates: Created 2008/09/10; Completed 2008/11/24; Revised 2009/10/30;

PMID: 18470597, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/30/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aloe - chemistry Anthracenes - isolation & purification; metabolism Chromatography - methods Glucosides - isolation & purification; metabolism Israel

Israel Phenols - isolation & purification; metabolism Plant Extracts - chemistry Plant Leaves - growth & development; metabolism Powders

Associated Chemicals: Anthracenes (0) ; Glucosides (0) ; Phenols (0) ; Plant Extracts (0) ; Powders (0) ; barbaloin (1415-73-2) ; aloenin (38412-46-3)

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