NPRG Holds First Part of Capability Development Seminar-Workshops

by Q.M. Maquilang

The newly formalized Natural Products Research Group (NPRG) held a seminar-workshop entitled "Capability Development in Natural Products Research: 1. Chromatographic Separation of Bioactive Metabolites" on April 11-13, 2012 at the Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of San Carlos. Aside from the faculty and staff identified with the group, students from different year levels participated in the seminar-workshop as well.

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This event kicked off the series of activities scheduled for this summer and into the coming academic year. Dr. Jack Hess L. Baricuatro, who heads the group, intends for these seminar-workshops to create and train a critical mass of active researchers dedicated to the isolation, purification and characterization of bioactive metabolites from marine and terrestrial resources in Cebu.

The seminar-workshop consisted of four parts: a lecture on secondary metabolites and chromatography by Dr. Ramon S. del Fierro and Ms. Queenie Marie A. Maquilang respectively; phytochemical screening, isolation and purification of bioactive metabolites by column and thin-layer chromatography, and a summary and evaluation of the isolation experiments carried out.

Under the guidance of Dr. Baricuatro and Dr. Jocelyn R. Locaylocay, the group successfully identified classes of phytochemical compounds from red seaweeds (Gelidiella acerosa and Gracilaria arcuata), mango, pandan, and a yet to be identified twig (provided by Dr. Locaylocay). These samples were subjected to a series of chromatographic processes using a variety of solvent combinations.

The results of this seminar-workshop will serve as a preliminary investigation into pre-selected plant resources as  the group continues with more rigorous studies in the coming academic year.