Evaluation of phyto products obtained from artichoke Cynara scolymus L. on pharmaceutical market

Abstract

Introduction: Artichoke was used as a food and medicine by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Nowadays artichoke is widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries. Worldwide ethnomedical uses of artichoke are for bile insufficiency, gallbladder disorders, high cholesterol, liver disorders, hyperglycaemia, detoxification, dyspepsia, jaundice, nausea. Due to clinical proofs of its therapeutic benefits artichoke was introduced in cultivation in the Collection of Medicinal Plants of the Centre for the Cultivation of Medicinal plants of the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University “Nicolae Testemitanu”. Purpose and objectives: This study aimed to analyze the share of phyto products obtained from artichoke’s raw materials in European countries and to estimate the main pharmaceutical forms of drugs. Materials and methods: assessment literature review of the range of drugs, concept comparative, structure-systemic review, statistics. Results: The survey is base on published data of marketing authorization in European countries of medicines containing artichoke. The presence of this medicines are for more than 30 years on the European market and were develop accounting for 11 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia Spain, Romania, United Kingdom and also in Republic of Moldova. Sate moldovan nomenclator database of Agency of Medicine includes 3 registered herbal medicinal products containing Cynarae folium as a single drug and 1 combined product. Although solid dosage forms (tablet and hard capsules) are considered biopharmaceutical most difficult forms constitutes 80% of registered products. The registered liquid pharmaceutical forms are solution for oral intake, fluid extract and tincture, their range submit considerably compared with solid forms. For example the tincture (1:5) is registered only in one country, in Poland. Conclusions: As a result of the survey was determined that in different countries are used various pharmaceutical forms based on artichoke extract. However the most common were found to be the solid pharmaceutical forms tablets and hard capsules. Also as a surprise the main solvent for extraction was developed to be the water which came in contrary with the fact that biologically active compounds of phenolic structures, contained in artichoke, are more soluble in highly polar organic solvents. For maintain the production constant improvement of extraction technology is required