Neste trabalho é proposto um método baseado na dispersão da matriz em fase sólida (MSPD) para a determinação de resíduos de pesticidas organoclorados (OC) e organofosforados (OP) por cromatografia em fase gasosa com detector de captura de elétrons (HRGC-ECD) em folhas de espécies de Passiflora L. (maracujá). Em confronto com os métodos convencionais, sobretudo versus o descrito pela Farmacopéia Européia (EP), a MSPD mostrou-se eficiente, rápida, simples e de fácil execução. Até o momento, não existem nem metodologias oficiais e nem limites que considerem a realidade brasileira para a análise de pesticidas em plantas medicinais e medicamentos fitoterápicos em geral, e o método MSPD aqui descrito mostrou ser uma opção viável para a análise de fitoterápicos de Passiflora L. This paper proposes a method based on matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) to determine the presence of organochlorine (OC) and organophosphorus (OP) pesticide residues in species of Passiflora L. (passion fruit) leaves by gas chromatography, using an electron capture detector (HRGC-ECD). A comparison with conventional methods, mainly the European Pharmacopoeia method (EP), showed MSPD to be efficient, fast, simple and easy to perform. To date, there are no official methods or limits that take into account Brazil's "real life" conditions in the analysis of pesticides in medicinal plants and phytomedicines, and the MSPD method described herein has proved to be a feasible one for the analysis of Passiflora L-based phytomedicines.Keywords: Passiflora L., matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD), HRGC-ECD, organochlorine pesticides, organophosphorus pesticides
IntroductionScientific advances in the use of medicinal plants and phytomedicines have led to the need for more accurate, faster and more sensitive analytical methods for their analysis. These methods focus mainly on the analysis of active plant compounds with the purpose of standardizing phytomedicines. Most Brazilian medicinal plants are still lacking in analytical studies aimed at their safe use and also their registration as phytomedicines.1 Therefore, in an earlier study, we focused systematically on the development of analytical methods based on instrumental chromatographic techniques (HRGC, HPLC, FSCE, GC-MS, LC-MS etc.) to analyze secondary metabolites -mainly terpenoids and flavonoids -from three important Brazilian medicinal plants: "espinheira santa" (Maytenus ilicifolia M. and Maytenus aquifolium M., Celastraceae [2][3][4][5] ); "guaco" (Mikania glomerata Spreng., Compositae 6,7 ) and passion fruit (a popular name that includes several species of the genus Passiflora L., Passifloraceae 8 ).Phytomedicinal safety assessments, however, necessarily involve the development of adequate analytical procedures, including the analysis of toxic plant compounds such as the gingkolic acids in Gingko biloba L. (Gingkoaceae) leaf extracts. 9 In addition, exogenous toxic compounds such as pesticide residues should be analyzed in phytopharmaceuticals. 10 With the latter goal in mind, we have also begu...