Estudio fitoquímico de los frutos de Acrocomia crispa, palma endémica cubana

Abstract

The family Arecaceae is broadly distributed in Cuba, where around 97 species of palms are found, 90 % of them are endemic. Fruit extracts of some palms have shown to be effective in different experimental models, such as prostatic hyperplasia. In additions they have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunomodulating, healing, antithrombotic, vasodilator; antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects. Acrocomia crispa is a Cuban endemic species of this family, which has been little studied until present. Werefore, the objective of the present work was to perfom a preliminary phytochemical screening of Acrocomia crispa fruits, searching the different groups of occurring compounds, which want be related to some pharmacological properties, and determining the composition of its lipid fraction. The collected fruits were washed, disinfected, dried and milled. The phytochemical screening revealed the occurrence of fixed oils, fenols, flavonoids, starch, saponins and mucilages; the doubtful presence of alkaloids, coumarins, triterpens and steroids as well as the total absence of emodins, anthracenic and cianogenetic glycosids. The lipid extract, which yielded a 12 %, was composed of a mixture of fatty acids between 8 and 18 carbon atoms, where the lauric, miristic and oleic acids were the most abundant. These results merit carry out further chemical and pharmacological studies from extracts of these fruits.