Analytical Method Development for the Compositional Investigation of Khat (Catha Edulis Forsk) Leaves With Respect to its Active Constituents, Selected Secondary Metabolites and Inorganic Nutrients
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Date
2013-01-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The rapid growth of khat use and misuse in the countries of its origin and other parts of
the world has led to the development of methods for extraction, clean-up, detection and
quantification of its psychoactive alkaloids and other nutrients. However, the extraction
and clean-up methods reported so far have a number of drawbacks and there is paucity of
quality data with regard to the concentrations of its psychoactive alkaloids, phenolic
compounds and mineral nutrients of Ethiopian khat accessions. Thus, this study
addressed some of the challenges facing researchers in the area, such as the need to use
easily accessible, simple, fast and plausible sample preparation techniques for khat
alkaloids and tannins analysis. Furthermore, total polyphenols, selected essential and
non-essential elements and fluoride accumulation in various khat cultivars were also
investigated.
Matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD), molecularly imprinted polymer for solid phase
extraction (MIP-SPE) and the modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe
(QuEChERS) based methods were investigated for extraction and clean-up of khat
alkaloids prior to HPLC-DAD detection. Under optimum conditions, good recoveries,
selectivity and reproducibility were obtained.
There was an assertion that drying khat leaves could significantly (if not completely)
decompose cathinone to cathine. However, this study demonstrated that cathinone was
persistently existed in dried plant material and it is wrong to assume that sun or oven
drying the leaves could completely convert cathinone to cathine.
This study also presents the quantitative determination of total phenolic compounds,
flavonoids, tannins and their related in-vitro antioxidant activities of the young leaves,
matured leaves and tips of tender stem near the young shoots. Simplified, rapid and
robust method was also developed for the analysis of total tannins using egg albumin as a
precipitating agent and Folin Denis reagent and FeCl3 solution for color developing
moieties for spectrophotometric assay.
In addition, the concentrations of selected major, minor and toxic metals as well as
fluoride distribution in various khat cultivars and the corresponding soil samples were
investigated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry and fluoride ion-selective electrode
potentiometry, respectively. It was noticed that khat leaves could be a good sources of
most of essential mineral nutrients and free from toxic metals like Pb and Cd. Analysis of
fluoride in the edible portion of the khat leaves resolved the equivocal information about
khat chewing and dental staining due to fluoride. It was found that the plant accumulated
significantly lower concentrations of fluoride compared with similar stimulant plants.
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Keywords
Analytical Method, Development, Compositional, Investigation, Khat (Catha Edulis Forsk) Leaves, Respect to its Active Constituents, Selected Secondary Metabolites, Inorganic Nutrients