Planta Med 2009; 75 - PD42
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234521

High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of rutin in Tarragon extracts

K Duric 1, E Kovac-Besovic 1, M Salihovic 2, H Dzudzevic-Cancar 2, E Sofic 2
  • 1University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cekalusa 90, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 2University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Science, Zmaja od Bosne 35, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Preparations from tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L., Asteraceae) are widely used as prophylactics and as treatments for various diseases. The most important classes of biologically active substances present in the herbage and leaves of tarragon are the essential oil, coumarins, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Some studies of cultivated tarragon show that the herbage contains up to 4.9% of flavonoids, included quercetin, luteolin, camphorol, isorhamnetin and their glycosides. Samples of wild-growing plants were also found to have flavonoid contents varying from 0.5 to 1.9%. Objectives: In this study, using HPLC-ED system, quantitative analysis of rutin was carried out in different extracts of tarragon. Hot, cold and ultrasonic types of water extracts of tarragon leaf were prepared. The drug (1g) was powdered and extracted with HPLC water (10ml). Afterward 1ml of that extract was decanted and centrifuged, obtaining supernatant which was used for further analysis. The standard solution was rutin (Merck, Germany), dissolved in isopropyl alcohol. HPLC conditions were following: Mobil phase methanol-acetonitrile-HPLC water-acetic acid (20+10+70+1); electro-chemical detector with range 50nA, potential +0.840 V, filter 0.02Hz; flow rate 0.8ml/min; temperature 25°C. Results: Determination of rutin was based on a comparison of retention-times obtained from different extracts of tarragon by the ED detector. The highest amount of rutin was obtained with ultrasonic extraction, 6.5mg/g. Applying cold extraction of tarragon leaves, the amount of calculated rutin was 6mg/g and the lesser amount of rutin was obtained with hot extraction, 5.5mg/g. Conclusion: The presence of rutin, the rhamnoglucoside of the flavonoid quercetin, give more importance to tarragon as potential medicinal plant to improve microcirculation.

References: [1] Aglarova, A.M. et al. (2008) Pharm. Chem. J. 42:81–86.

[2] Shahriyary, L. et al. (2007)J. Ethnopharmacol. 114:194–198.

[3] Lopes-Lutz, D. et al. (2008) Phytochemistry 69:1732–1738.