Quantitative determination of compound leads in Schiniopsis brasiliensis Engler

Brazil has a great potential for biodiversity and richness of traditional knowledge accumulated by local people who have direct access to nature and the biodiversity of products. Schinopsis brasiliensis Engl. (Anacardiaceae) is mainly found in the semiarid region. The plant has been shown to possess antimicrobial activity and high levels of phenolic compounds. We here developed a HPLC – UV method for a quantitative determination of the gallic acid in S. brasiliensis. The separation was carried out using a Phenomenex Gemini NX C18 column (250 X 4,6 mm; 5 µm) and a gradient of 0.1% orthophosphoric acid and methanol. The gallic acid was monitored at 271nm. The method was validated for its linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ). The calibration curves showed good linear regression (r2 > 0.99) within test ranges and percentage recovery exceeded 90% for all analysis. Limits of detection and quantification were 1.22 and 1.82 µg/mL, respectively. This method showed good reproducibility for the quantification of the compound in samples with an RSD of less than 5.0% respectively. The described method has the advantage of being rapid and easy hence it can be applied for routine quality control analysis of gallic acid from S. brasiliensis.

Keywords: Medicinal plant, Schinopsis brasiliensis Engl., Major compound, Herbal medicine