Quantitative determination of antiinflammatory principles in some Polypodium species as a basis for standardization.

Recently, several compounds including polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic), the triflavonoid selligueain and a sulfonoglycolipid (SQDG) have been isolated from the South American fern, Polypodium decumanum using bioactivity directed fractionation. The present study describes the quantitative analysis using HPLC methods of these three classes of compounds in the leaves and rhizomes of the five Polypodium species. Furthermore, extracts of the five ferns are studied in three in vitro bioassays using platelet activating factor (PAF) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)). The models are the same that previously have led to the isolation of the active principles in Polypodium decumanum. The objective of this study was to investigate if the identified active compounds could be used for standardization of the extracts. Since the SQDG was found to be present in pharmacologically detectable amounts in the crude extracts and since it presents a specific mode of action it is recommended that quantitative analysis of this constituent should be used for future standardization of the extracts.