Commerce and Production PDF

Commerce and production Dr. Thukaa Z. Abdul – Jalil Lec 3 and Lec 4 Geographical Distribution of the medicinal Plants: The plant density varies in quality and quantity according to the environmental conditions of different regions on earth. The main factors affecting on the plant density: 1-Temperat...

Commerce and production Dr. Thukaa Z. Abdul – Jalil Lec 3 and Lec 4 Geographical Distribution of the medicinal Plants: The plant density varies in quality and quantity according to the environmental conditions of different regions on earth. The main factors affecting on the plant density: 1-Temperature 2-Moisture 3-Soil (land). First: The temperature factor: The main medicinal plants of hot region: cacao, kola (cola), coffee bean, black pepper, olive, Citrus spp. and cinchona. The main medicinal plants in cold region: balsams, pinus, Digitalis and Crocus Second: The moisture factor: Xerophytes plants ( dry region plants): plants can maintain inner water and work to resist dry weather and water shortage: Aretemesia, Aloe,Henna Hydrophytes plants (wet region plants):like Nerium oleander and Salix Mesophytes plants ( middle region plants): This environment has the most important medicinal plants like: Atropa belladonna and Digitalis spp. Third: The land (Soil) factor: Medicinal plants which grow in acid soils. Ex: Digitalis and gardenia Medicinal plants which grow in alkaline soils. Ex: Atropa belladonna and cinchona Production of crude drugs The process of drug production include three steps which are: collection , drying, and storage. First: collection (harvesting): Collection is the most important step which comes after the cultivation. Drugs may be collected from wild plants or cultivated plants, collection of drugs from cultivated plants always ensure a true natural source and a reliable product. This may or may not be the case when drugs are collected from wild plants. Generally, these drugs are collected by different means. The mode of collection varies with each drug produced and with the pharmaceutical requirement. Some drugs may be collected by hands workers (labor) either by skilled workers as in case : Digitalis, belladonna and cinchona plant, while other plants are collected by unskilled workers as in case Black pepper, or some drugs are collector by mechanical means like fruits of olive and jojoba plants. Quantity and quality of active constituents in the drugs (plant materials) are affected by some factors. Therefore, when collected these drugs we must attend to these factors: 1-Collection time: EX. The leaf of peppermint and spearmint plant collected in spring season because in this season the leaf contain high concentration of volatile oils. 2-Plant age :EX. trees of plant cinchona have the maximum amount of alkaloid cinchonine in their barks when they within 6-9 years old. 3-The growth stage of the plant part :EX. The leaves of the following plants: tobacco, senna, and digitalis, are collected in the full maturity stage. Second: Drying: This process is essential removal of moisture from the plant material to: 1-Ensure keeping qualities 2-Prevent molding and bacterial 3-Prevent the action of enzyme and chemical or other possible change 4-Converts the drug into a more convenient for commercial handling. The drying process depends on plant type, plant part and plant constituents, if the enzymatic activity wanted to continue, slow drying and at moderate temperature used. Such as in vanilla pods which give vanillin (active compound) used as flavoring agent, we should use slow drying at moderate temperature to convert glucovanilla (inactive compound) into vanillin. But in most cases, the enzymatic activity is unwanted and the plant is dried completely to avoid the enzymatic activity which may lead to convert the active constituent into inactive substances which are medicinally unwanted. **Drying is very important in case of some plants contain volatile oil or aromatic substances. These plants should be dry as soon as possible or distilled to get aromatic and volatile material because during bad drying these materials are lost. Drying process occur either by: 1-Open-air drying: in which the drying depending on type of plant that contain high or low moisture, this type is done either by sun for the crude drugs are not affected by light and high temperature. Ex: fruits of black pepper Or under shade (not apply to sun) for crude drugs are affected by light and high temperature. Ex: fruits of opium poppy. This type of drying (open-air drying) last from few hours to many weeks depending on type of plant materials. 2-Artificial drying: this type can be done by using oven heat to plant materials in certain conditions which not affect plant constituents. Ex: seeds of coffee bean. Third: Packaging and Storage: Packaging is the process by which a newly produced drug is protected by a packet or some kind of bottle or into a container. The long storage although is not recommended but cannot be avoided. Except in certain cases such as in cascara bark (‫ )لحاء نبات الكسكارة‬that need long storage in order to get the required active constituents, this process of storage called curing or sweating which need one or two years. *Other drugs such as Digitalis should be stored carefully to avoid the absorption of water or moisture which help in mold and bacterial growth and prevent the deterioration of these drugs. *The volatile oil, fixed oils and other moist sensitive drugs should be stored in cool, fully closed, dark and fully filled container in order to avoid oxidation or deterioration of these drugs by the action of light, oxygen or by other factors which leads to destruction of active constituents. The stored drugs should be checked from time to time to remove any spoil, deteriorated drugs that result from the action of rats and insects. Methods of using plants Plants may be used as : 1. Isolated parts ex: dried leaves of plant as Digitalis which contain glycosides as digoxin which is used for the treatment of heart diseases 2. Whole plants ex: Vinca rosa (Catharanthus roseus) and its active constituents vincristine and vinblastine which are used as anticancer 3. Extracts of active constituents ex: extract of unripe fruits of plant as Papaver somniferum which contain morphine which is used as narcotic. The importance or value of natural drug products The natural drugs and their active constituents play many significant roles in modern medicine and the following points explain this value: 1- Some medicinal plants and their active constituents have a high healing efficiency for some diseases especially the heart and cancer disease that are difficult if not possible to produce them commercially by synthetic (chemical) or microbiological methods. Examples: (A) Digitalis plants and their active constituents (digoxin and digitoxin) that are used for treatment some heart diseases. (B) Vinca rosea Linn. plant and its active constituents (vincristine and vinblastine) that used forimportance treatment some cancer diseases. and preparation of natural drugs 10 2- Some natural compounds can be used as a model or prototype for synthesis some drugs having pharmacological activity similar to original compound. Ex: Salicin compound (alcohol glycoside) obtained from the bark of Salix plant. Salicin drug is used for treatment headache, antimalarial, diaphoretic ‫معرق‬, in human body salicin compound oxidized to salicylic acid and appear these actions. importance and preparartion of natural drugs 11 COOH CH2OH OH O-C6H11O5 Oxidation Salicin Salicylic acid As a model to form Also this acid used as a model to form CH3 CH-COOH O-C6H11O5 COOH O –CO-CH3 CH2 CH3-CH-CH3 Profen Aspirin 12 3- Some natural sources supply basic compounds that may be modified their chemical structures to render them more effective but less adverse effects. Ex: Morphine compound from the plant opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). ‫خشخاش‬ This compound is used as a strong narcotic and lead to habit forming (addiction) but by making changes in its molecular structure it can found other compound named codeine which used as narcotic but less habit. importance and preparartion of natural drugs 13 5- Some natural sources contain compounds that demonstrate little or no activity themselves, but it be modified their structures by chemical or microbiological methods to produce potent drugs not easily obtained by other methods. Ex: Digitonine compound (Saponin glycoside) in the seeds of digitalis plant.  This compound has no medicinal activity and it's poisonous, therefore, it's used for fishing but we can use the molecular structure of this compound as precursor to form very important useful drugs. Like: cortisone, sex hormones (testosterone and progesterone) and vit.D. The sources of these drugs are expensive and limited especially the cortisone like: **Bile acids of the cattle and the adrenal cortex of whale.  But the cheap source is found in the plant by modified the chemical structure of their active constituents. importance and preparartion of natural drugs 14 importance and preparartion of natural drugs 15