Planta Med 2009; 75 - PG21
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234675

Determination of primary and secondary metabolites in Matricaria chamomilla

M Nasimullah Qureshi 1, G Stecher 1, 2, G Abel 3, M Popp 3, GK Bonn 1
  • 1Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry, Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruck, Innrain 52 a, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
  • 2Bionorica research GmbH, Mitterweg 24, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
  • 3Bionorica AG, Kerschensteiner str. 11–15, 92318 Neumarkt, Germany

Compounds of Matricaria chamomilla (common name: chamomile, family: Asteraceae) are of considerable interest because of their potential pharmacological activities [1]. Modern phyto-medicine is aiming to produce phyto-pharmaceuticals of high quality, high pharmacological efficacy and innocuousness for which analytical characterization of pharmaceutical drugs is of utmost importance. A comprehensive approach was adopted in order to determine the primary and secondary metabolites in flowers of M. Chamomilla. Focus within the study was placed on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoids, amino acids and carbohydrates.

Flavonoids were determined in the methanolic extract of plant using HPLC-PDA. The extract was subjected to acid hydrolysis with 6M HCl in order to release aglycons from the glycosidic forms. For the qualtitative and quantitative analysis of primary metabolites – amino acids and carbohydrates in aqueous extract of chamomile flowers, thin layer chromatography (TLC) [2,3,4,5], amino acid analyser [6], gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) [7,8] and a newly developed mass spectrometric method, i.e. matrix free material enhanced laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (mf-MELDI-MS) [9,10] was used.

Among the flavonoids luteolin, quercetin, apigenin and isorhamnetin were quantified, yielding highest amounts for apigenin. TLC analysis proved the presence of various amino acids and carbohydrates (mono-, and disaccharides) in the extracts. The application of mf-MELDI-MS further confirmed the presence of amino acids and carbohydrates. For quantification of carbohydrates, samples were derivatised prior to GC-MS analysis with BSTFA solution in pyridine as derivatising reagent employing microwave radiation for 4min at 180 Watts. Glucose, fructose and sucrose were quantified. Fructose gave highest amount than other carbohydrates. Proline proved to be in appreciable amount among the amino acids quantified.

Finally work performed for the exploitation of chamomile flowers proves the performance of mf-MELDI-MS, as it allows to screen plant extracts in a very short time. In this way an analytical profile of the plant is gained, necessary for the quality control in phyto-pharmaceutical industries.

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[6] Pharmacopoeae Europa 4.06, chapter 2.2.56.

[7]Silva, F.O. et al. (2004) Food Chem. 88: 609–612.

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[9] Ahsan Hashir M. et al. (2009) Int. J.Mass Spectrom. 279:15–24.

[10] Ahsan Hashir, M. et al. (2007) Rapid Commun. Mass Spec. 21:2759–2769.