Phytochemical substantiation of integrated processing of pericarp of Juglans nigra L.

Relevance. Both highly active pharmaceutical substances and excipients can be target products for the complex processing of medicinal plant raw materials. For example, naphthoquinones are used as antimicrobal, antifunginal and polysaccharides are used as fillers, thickeners, and sorbents. Fruits, roots, and waste from the wood processing industry serve as raw material sources of polysaccharides. The development of low-waste technologies for processing medicinal plant raw materials is a current area of research.

The purpose of the work is to substantiate the possibility of complex processing of black walnut pericarp with the production of biologically active and auxiliary substances using low-waste technology based on phytochemical research.

Material and methods. The object of study is the pericarp of Juglans nigra L. (Juglandaceae). The raw materials were collected in October 2021 in a park in Pyatigorsk. It was dried and crushed into powder. Naphthoquinones (juglone and its derivatives) were detected by thin layer chromatography. The content of naphthoquinones was determined by spectrophotometry, extractives released by chloroform, polysaccharides by gravimetry, the average molecular weight of water-soluble polysaccharides by viscometry, the surface activity of water-soluble polysaccharides by stalagmometry, and the distribution coefficient of polysaccharides in the diethyl ether-water system by conductometry.

Results. The possibility of obtaining two products in one technological process is justified by the results of experiments: 1) active pharmaceutical substance (yield 1.5%) for obtaining external forms (ointments, creams) with antifungal, antiviral activity, containing naphthoquinones (naphthoquinones in terms of juglone 12.41±0.3%); 2) excipients polysaccharides (yield 8.8%), whose molecules have a thread-like structure, which explains their good solubility in water, surface activity and polyelectrolyte properties.

Conclusions. As a result of a phytochemical study of the pericarp of Juglans nigra L., it was established that both a substance containing polyphenolic compounds and polysaccharides suitable as auxiliary substances can be obtained in the process of complex processing.