Characterization of plants' extracts used for herbal prescription by chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometry

Magdalena Ligor, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland (mligor@umk.pl)
Justyna Walczak, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University,7 Gagarina Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Aneta Krakowska, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University,7 Gagarina Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Ileana Andrea Ratiu, Interdisciplinary Centre of Modern Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 4 Wileńska Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş Bolyai University,Str. Fântânele nr. 30, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Hossam Al-Suod, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University,7 Gagarina Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Interdisciplinary Centre of Modern Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 4 Wileńska Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Bogusław Buszewski, Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University,7 Gagarina Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland
Interdisciplinary Centre of Modern Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 4 Wileńska Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland

Due to the presence of various secondary metabolites in plants' cells, extracts obtained from herbal plants possess various biological properties as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic activities. Mentioned components are widely spread in other herbs, fruits as well as honey. Their isolation, separation and analysis becomes a great interest in several fields, such as pharmaceutical and food industries, biochemistry, medical cell biology, and biotechnology research or nutrition. The most used approaches involved in the last ten years for selective isolation, pre-concentration, and separation of biologically active compounds especially polyphenols and cyclitols in a range of complex matrices are widely discussed. Various conventional and non-conventional sample preparation methods have been used for extraction of mentioned compounds. Otherwise chromatographic techniques, which are characterized by high sensitivity, selectivity and versatility are widely applied for the determination of mentioned biologically active compounds. Through most used of them are gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS, LC/MS).

The main aim of presented study was to prepare methodologies for the separation and determination of biologically active compounds from various part of plants (roots, stems, leaves and flowers). Some plants of importance in medicine, pharmacology, cosmetics as well as animals feeding like Medicago sativa L., Solidago canadensis L. Solidago gigantea Aition, Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Fagopyrum Mill. have been taken into account. Various methods like solid phase microextraction (SPME), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and classical solvent extraction allow to obtain extracts rich in volatile and non volatile compounds and characterized by a high antioxidant activity. The method of rapid assessment of the qualitative analysis of extracts by means of chromatographic techniques GC/MS, LC-MSⁿ and TLC-MS was proposed.

Acknowledgements

This work was financed in the framework of grant entitled: ”Cultivated plants and natural products as a source of biologically active substances assign to the production of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products as well as diet supplements” (nr BIOSTRATEG2/298205/9/NCBR/2016) attributed by the National Center for Research and Development (Warsaw, Poland).

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Abstract Reference & Short Personal Biography of Presenting Author

Magdalena Ligor has completed her DSc from Nicolaus Copernicus University and postdoctoral studies at Innsbruck Medical University. She has published more than 62 papers in the journals and 4 chapters to books. She is serving as an reviewer member of repute. Her research interests focusing chromatographic techniques (GC/MS, HPLC/MSⁿ, TLC-MS), sample preparation methods (SPME, SPE, LLE), analysis of plant materials, food and water, determination of VOCs, biomedical chemistry, trace analysis. Others duties: study of effects and mechanisms of biologically active compounds actions, which are occurring in plants and natural products; evaluation of the relationship between the concentration of polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and their antioxidant activity; the development of specific validated methodologies for the extraction of biologically active compounds from plant materials and natural products and the determination of analytes by use of chromatographic techniques.