Application of an HPLC method for analysis of the extract from Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke

Paullinia cupana var. sorbilis (Mart.) Ducke (Sapindaceae), popularly known as „Guaraná“, is a tropical South American plant found in northern Brazil. Guaraná is widely used in medicine, cosmetics, and industry due to its versatile biological activities, and is popularly used as a stimulant of the central nervous system (CNS) in cases of intellectual and physical stress, and as an antidiarrheic, diuretic, and antineuralgic agent [1,2]. It has shown antioxidant, anti-amnesia, and antidepressive effects in animal models [3–7]. These activities are mainly attributed to the presence of polyphenols, which explains the interest in quantifying these constituents in guaraná preparations, as well as in validating analytical methodologies. Caffeine, epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins B1, B2, B3, B4, A2, and C1 have been isolated and identified from its semipurified extract [1]. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods have been used to quantify isolated polyphenols or these compounds in complex biological matrices, such as herbal raw materials and extractive preparations. To separate and identify some substances present in the extract, we developed an RP-HPLC method. The chromatograms were obtained from various gradient elution systems, in order to establish the ideal conditions for the analysis of guaraná extract, using 0.05% TFA methanol: acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) and 0.05% TFA water as the mobile phase. Gradient reversed-phase chromatography was performed using a stainless-steel column (250×4.6mm i.d., 4µm) and detection at 210nm. The results demonstrate the efficiency of separation using the proposed method.

Acknowledgements: CAPES, CNPq, INCT_if.

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