As raízes secas da espécie brasileira Pfaffia tuberosa (Spreng.) Hicken foram submetidas a extração com metanol. Deste extrato metanólico foram isolados a ecdisterona e o ácido oleanólico, através de processos de separação por HPLC e cromatografia em coluna. Tanto a ecdisterona como o ácido oleanólico foram identificados comparativamenve com os respectivos padrões. Análise quantitativa por HPLC mostrou 0,23% de ecdisterona. Este teor foi corsiderado baixo em relação a outra espécie, também brasileira, a Pfaffia iresinoides.

In this paper, we wish to report the isolation and identification of ecdysterone from Pfaffia tuberosa (Spreng.) Hicken. The roots of Pfaffia tuberosa (Spreng.) Hicken were colected in the Mato Grosso State - Brazil. The dried and sliced roots (197g) were extracted with hot MeOH. A suspension of the resulting MeOH extract in the water was treated with n-BuOH. The n-BuOH layer was concentrated in vacuo to give a brown viscous oil (5g), wich was chromatographed on silicagel (65g) using CHCl3 - MeOH - H2O (80:20:10) lower phase, and 15ml fractions were collected. Fractions 11-13 were concentrated and the residual solid was recrystallized from EtOH to afford oleanolic acid (65mg). The crystalline residue obtained from fractions 44-56 was recrystallized from EtOAC-MeOH to give ecdysterone (87mg). Each compound was identified by direct comparison with an authentic sample. Further HPLC quantitative analysis showed lower content of ecdysterone (0,23%) compared with that of Pfaffia iresinoides Spreng.