A New Method for Determination of Thymol and Carvacrol in Thymi herba by Ultraperformance Convergence Chromatography (UPC2)

Abstract

Ultraperformance convergence chromatography is an environmentally friendly analytical technique for dramatically reducing the use of organic solvents compared to conventional chromatographic methods. In this study, a rapid and sensitive ultraperformance convergence chromatography method was firstly established for quantification of thymol and carvacrol, two positional isomers of a major bioactive in the volatile oil of Thymi herba, the dried leaves and flowers of Thymus mongolicus or Thymus przewalskii, known in China as “Dijiao.” Using a TrefoilTM CEL1 column, thymol and carvacrol were separated in less than 2.5 min and resolution was enhanced. The method was validated with respect to precision, accuracy, and linearity according to the National Medical Products Administration guidelines. The optimized method exhibited good linear correlation (r = 0.9998−0.9999), excellent precision (relative standard deviations (RSDs) < 1.50%), and acceptable recoveries (87.29–102.89%). The limits of detection for thymol and carvacrol were 1.31 and 1.57 ng/L, respectively, while their corresponding limits of quantification were 2.63 and 3.14 ng/L. Finally, the quantities of the two compounds present in 16 T. mongolicus and four T. przewalskii samples were successfully evaluated by employing the developed method. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a guideline for the quality control of Thymi herba.

Electrode Based on the MWCNTs and Electropolymerized Thymolphthalein for the Voltammetric Determination of Total Isopropylmethylphenols in Spices

“…High-performance liquid chromatography with UV- [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] and fluorimetric detection [ 27 ] has been widely applied in the analysis of liquid samples such as essential oils, medicinal plant extracts, and honey. Recently, ultraperformance convergence chromatography with UV detection has been developed for the determination of thymol and carvacrol in Thymi herba [ 28 ]. Such an approach significantly decreases the use of organic solvents and improves the separation time (less than 2.5 min) and resolution of the peaks.…”

Determination of Thymol in Commercial Formulation, Essential Oils, Traditional, and Ultrasound-Based Extracts of Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare Using a Greener HPTLC Approach

“…Some GC-MS methods for determining thymol in various biological fluids, such as dairy cow plasma and milk, and human plasma, have also been published [35,36]. Some other techniques such as cerium oxide nanoparticles-based electrochemical sensor [37], liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection [38], and ultra-performance convergence chromatography [39] techniques have also been reported for the determination of thymol.…”

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Thymus mongolicus (Labiatae), a special spice plant

“…The extract of T. mongholicus has antioxidative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and immunity enhanced effects(Chang et al. 2020 ). However, the biological research of T. mongholicus is very few, and there is a little nucleic acid sequences in the Genbank.…”

“…It is widely distributed in North of China and used in traditional Chinese medicine treatment, food health, daily chemical industry, ecological conservation and Mutton cooking (Qiu et al 2018). The extract of T. mongholicus has antioxidative, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, anticancer and immunity enhanced effects (Chang et al 2020). However, the biological research of T. mongholicus is very few, and there is a little nucleic acid sequences in the Genbank.…”