Estudo dos espectros de massa dos alcaloides esteroidais isolados das plantas medicinais Moçambicanas

Abstract

Since the beginning, human beings have searched for forms and materials that could cure their ills or, at least, alleviate their sufferings and heal their wounds. Although resorting to animal and mineral substances as well, plants, due to their easy availability, harvesting and fertile field for experimenting with properties, have constituted the main raw material "in the art of healing", although the plant kingdom seems to to be a source of other potential drugs and medicines that are still intact and neglected, thus justifying the great interest in them. According to Matos, N.t43i it is estimated that less than 5 to 10% of the approximately 250,000 to 500,000 species of higher plants have been analyzed to some extent in terms of their chemical constitution and biological activity. However, it is noted that it is not yet possible to make an acceptable calculation on the number of plant species already analyzed as potential sources of new medicines. In any case thousands of plants have been used for a long time in traditional medicine. Medicinal plants are extensively used in therapy, for example in the bibliography [37], [42] and [43] many diseases are indicated that can be treated with plants, their parts or compounds obtained from them. Therefore, the vegetal area is important for the improvement of public health.