Phytochemical Analysis of Podospermum and Scorzonera n-Hexane Extracts and the HPLC Quantitation of Triterpenes

Abstract

Previously tested n-hexane extracts of the Scorzonera latifolia showed promising bioactivity in vivo. Because triterpenes could account for this activity, n-hexane extracts were analyzed by HPLC to identify and quantify the triterpenes as the most abundant constituents. Other Scorzonera and Podospermum species, potentially containing triterpenic aglycones, were included in the study. An HPLC method for simultaneous determination of triterpene aglycones was therefore developed for analysis of Podospermum and Scorzonera species. n-Hexane extracts of root and aerial parts of S. latifolia, ten other Scorzonera species and two Podospermum species were studied to compare the content of triterpenes. HPLC was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of α-amyrin, lupeol, lupeol acetate, taraxasteryl acetate, 3-β-hydroxy-fern-7-en-6-one acetate, urs-12-en-11-one-3-acetyl, 3-β-hydroxy-fern-8-en-7-one acetate, and olean-12-en-11-one-3-acetyl. Limits of detection and quantification were determined for each compound. HPLC fingerprinting of n-hexane extracts of Podospermum and Scorzonera species revealed relatively large amounts of triterpenes in a majority of investigated taxa. Lupeol, lupeol acetate, and taraxasteryl acetate were found in a majority of the species, except S. acuminata. The presence of α-amyrin, 3β-hydroxy-fern-7-en-6-one-acetate, urs-12-en-11-one-3-acetyl, 3β-hydroxy-fern-8-en-7-one-acetate, and olean-12-en-11-one-3-acetyl was detected in varying amounts. The triterpene content could correlate with the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of Scorzonera, which was previously observed and Scorzonera species that have been determined to contain triterpenes in large amounts and have not yet been tested for their analgesic activity should be tested for their potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential. The presented HPLC method can be used for analysis of triterpene aglycones, for example dedicated to chemosystematic studies of the Scorzonerinae.

Optimization, Validation and Application of HPLC-PDA Methods for Quantification of Triterpenoids in Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.

“…Since detection of triterpenoids with weak chromophores is highly dependent on the mobile phase [ 12 ], consideration of mobile phase composition was the key factor of optimization. On account of reports on triterpenoids analysis [ 11 , 12 , 14 , 35 , 36 ], different compositions of the mobile phase, namely, acetonitrile:water, methanol:water, methanol:acetonitrile, acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran:methanol:water, acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile:water:acetic acid, methanol:water:acetic acid, acetonitrile:methanol:water, were investigated in various proportions and in gradient and isocratic elution patterns. Retention times of most triterpenoids decreased as the amount of organic solvent in the proportion of mobile phase increased.…”

Extraction of High Value Triterpenic Acids from Eucalyptus globulus Biomass Using Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents

“…Accordingly, these high value compounds have been studied in a wide range of applications in the food, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields [22][23][24]. TTAs are usually extracted from biomass using volatile organic solvents, such as dichloromethane [12], n-hexane [25], ethanol [26] or chloroform [18], and using extraction processes as simple solid-liquid extraction and Soxhlet extraction. For instance, extraction yields of 1.4% of the three main TTAs (UA, BA, OA), from which 0.82% partakes to UA [12], have been obtained from E. globulus outer bark by Soxhlet extraction using dichloromethane.…”

New chlorogenic acid derivatives and triterpenoids from Scorzonera aucheriana

“…Triterpenes are common natural compounds for the various Scorzonera species which were mentioned [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]. Isolation of three tirucallane triterpenes were mentioned from roots of S. divaricata and exhibited significant cytotoxic activities in vitro against four human cancer cell lines (HL60, HeLa, HepG2, and SMMC-7721) [45].…”

“…deliciosa and the methanol extract had examined for in vitro antioxidant properties using DPPH test [52]. n-Hexane extract of the S. latifolia had yielded α-amyrin, lupeol, lupeol acetate, taraxasteryl acetate, 3β-hydroxy-fern-7-en-6-one acetate, 3-acetyl urs-12en-11-one, 3β-hydroxy-fern-8-en-7-one acetate, and 3-acetyl olean-12-en-11-one [53].…”