Simultaneous determination of quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin in phytopharmaceuticals of Hippophae rhamnoides L. by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection

A novel method based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection has been developed for the simultaneous determination of three flavonols including quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. The procedure was based on the chemiluminescent enhancement by flavonols of the cerium(IV)-rhodamine 6G system in sulfuric acid medium. The effects of several parameters on the HPLC resolution and CL emission were studied systematically. Good separation was achieved with isocratic elution using a mixture of methanol and aqueous 1.0% acetic acid (37:63, v/v) within 25 min. Under optimized conditions, the linear working range covers 3 orders of magnitude with relative standard deviations below 4.5% for 11 replicate injected flavonol samples, and detection limits (S/N= 3) were 1.6 x 10(-8), 3.5 x 10(-9), and 6.5 x 10(-9) g mL(-1) for quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, respectively. The chemiluminescence reaction was compatible with the mobile phase of high-performance liquid chromatography. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of three active flavonols in phytopharmaceuticals of Hippophae rhamnoides L. After a simple extraction procedure, the repeatability and recovery were satisfactory.     

Simultaneous determination of six herbal components in intestinal perfusate by high‐performance liquid chromatography

An effective, accurate and reliable HPLC with UV detection method was developed and validated for quantitation of six components: baicalin, berberine hydrochloride, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin and baicalein in intestinal perfusate using rotundin as an internal standard. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Welchrom‐C₁₈ column (250 × 4.6 mm i.d. with 5.0 µm particle size) with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, water, phosphoric acid and triethylamine (30:70:0.2:0.1,v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and a UV detection at 270 nm. The method had a chromatographic run time of 30 min and excellent linear behavior over the investigated concentration ranges observed with the values of r higher than 0.99 for all the analytes. The lower limit of quantification of the analytical method was 0.09 µg/mL for berberine hydrochloride, quercetin, kaempferol and baicalein and 0.18 µg/mL for baicalin and isorhamnetin. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions measured at three concentration levels were all less than 10% for all analytes. The bias ranged from ?6.91 to 4.33%. The validated method has been successfully applied to investigate the rat intestine absorption profiles of baicalin, berberine hydrochloride, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin and baicalein. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid and sensitive detection of auxins and flavonoids in plant samples by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid and methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester in small amounts of plant tissue is essential for elucidating their mutual transformation mechanism and the in vivo function of methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester. Rapid quantification of flavonoids in the same sample is important for clarifying their roles in the transport of auxins and other phytohormones. Herein, we describe a simple method for the simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid and its methyl ester in the roots of the Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and a protocol for the rapid extraction and quantification of quercetin and kaempferol in these seedlings. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was used for the detection of all the compounds. Negative data for indole-3-acetic acid and positive data for methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester were collected in two successive files with a single injection of the extracted sample. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection for the four compounds was 2 ng/mL for indole-3-acetic acid, 0.5 ng/mL for methyl indole-3-acetic acid ester, 5 ng/mL for quercetin, and 1 ng/mL for kaempferol, respectively. Because of the high sensitivity of the assay, only 2-10 mg of the plant material was required to obtain quantitative results.     

Simultaneous quantification of terpenelactones and flavonol aglycones in hydrolyzed ginkgo biloba extract by liquid chromatography with inline ultraviolet and evaporative light scattering detection

We report here a liquid chromatography (LC) method with inline ultraviolet/evaporative light scattering (UV/ELS) detection for the simultaneous quantification of the terpenelactones and flavonol aglycones in a single sample of hydrolyzed Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE). The sample is hydrolyzed by a rapid and convenient oven heating method for 1 h at 90 degrees C with 10% hydrochloric acid. The 1 h hydrolysis was found to be equivalent to the 2.25 h reflux treatment for dry powder extract, where total flavonol glycosides were 28.4 and 28.1%, respectively. Acceptable precision was achieved for total terpenelactones [relative standard deviation (RSD) = 4.8%] by ELS detection, and total flavonol aglycones (RSD = 2.3%) by UV detection. The analytical range was 1.5 to 7.3% (w/w) for the individual terpenelactones (ELS) and 2.5 to 15.0% (w/w) for the individual glycosides (UV) calculated from the aglycones quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. This improved method allows for the first time high throughput sample preparation coupled with the quantification of the predominant compounds generally used for quality control of GBE in a single assay.     

液相色谱法同时测定维药蜀葵花中芦丁、槲皮素和山柰酚

维药是祖国医药学不可分割的组成部分。维药现代化,即利用现代技术研究维药的有效成分,是维药科学化、标准化、规范化、商品化和产业化的必经之路。本文建立了维药蜀葵花中有效成分芦丁、槲皮素和山柰酚的选择性提取方法,优化了高效液相色谱法(HPLC)同时测定这3种有效成分的分析条件。采用HC-C₁₈色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm)和甲醇-0.4%磷酸(50:50, v/v)流动相,在柱温30 ℃和流速1.00 mL/min的条件下实现了3种物质之间以及和干扰物之间的基线分离。维药蜀葵花中芦丁、槲皮素及山柰酚的线性范围分别为12.5~150 μg/mL (r=0.9998), 12.5~125 μg/mL (r=0.9999)及12.5~125 μg/mL (r=0.9988),加标回收率(n=5)分别为100.3%(RSD=1.1%)、97.60%(RSD=0.47%)、97.75%(RSD=0.71%)。该方法实现了同时测定维药蜀葵花中芦丁、槲皮素及山柰酚,为其他黄酮类物质的开发应用提供了科学依据,同时也可为其他维药分析提供借鉴。     

A simple HPLC method for the quantification of mizoribine in human serum: pharmacokinetic applications

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantification of mizoribine in human serum. After the addition of 70% perchloric acid and 3-methylxanthine (50 microg/mL, internal standard) to human serum, the samples were mixed and centrifuged at 12,000 rpm (1432 g) for 10 min. The supernatant was injected onto a C(18) column eluted with a mobile phase of 20 mm Na2HPO4 and methanol (93:7, v/v, pH 3) containing 0.04% octanesulfonic acid and detected utilizing an ultraviolet detector at 275 nm. The linear calibration curve was obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-4.0 microg/mL and the lower limit of quantification was 0.1 microg/mL. This method was validated with selectivity, linearity, precision and accuracy. In addition, the method was successfully applied to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters of mizoribine in Korean subjects following an oral administration of 100 mg mizoribine (two Bredinine 50 mg tablets). The maximum serum concentration (C(max)) of 2.30 +/- 0.83 microg/mL was reached 2.27 +/- 0.66 h after an oral dose. The mean AUC(0-12 h) and the elimination half-life (t(1/2)) were 13.2 +/- 4.79 microg h/mL and 3.10 +/- 0.74 h, respectively.     

Enantioselective pharmacokinetics of mabuterol in rats studied using sequential achiral and chiral HPLC

The enantioselective pharmacokinetics of mabuterol was studied in six rats after single oral dose administration of mabuterol racemate. Serial plasma samples were collected and the pharmacokinetic behavior of each enantiomer in rats was characterized using a sequential achiral and chiral liquid chromatographic method. This method involved the separation of mabuterol racemate from endogenous substances on an achiral ODS column and enantiomeric separation on a Chirobiotic V column. The plasma-concentration data were analyzed for individual mabuterol enantiomer using 3P97 software. After i.g. administration of mabuterol racemate at a dose of 10 mg/kg, both enantiomers were slowly absorbed, reaching mean C(max) of 266.8 and 277.9 ng/mL at t(max) of 5.3 and 5.7 h for R- and S-mabuterol, respectively. The AUC(0-infinity) (5,938.9 ng h/mL) of R-mabuterol was significantly higher than that (4,446.1 ng h/mL) of S-mabuterol, and the half-life (14.5 h) was longer than that (9.6 h) of S-mabuterol (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively), showing that enantioselective pharmacokinetics between mabuterol enantiomers occur during the metabolism phase.     

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of venlafaxine in human plasma and application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) method for the determination of venlafaxine in human plasma has been developed. Samples were prepared using liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed on a C(18) column interfaced with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Positive electrospray ionization was employed as the ionization source. The mobile phase was methanol-water containing 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate, pH 7.9 adjusted with aqueous ammonia (80:20, v/v) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The analyte and internal standard clozapine were both detected by use of selected ion monitoring mode. The method was linear in the concentration range of 1.0-200.0 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1.0 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation across three validation runs over the entire concentration range was less than 10.1%. The accuracy determined at three concentrations (5.0, 50.0 and 150.0 ng/mL for venlafaxine) was within +/-10.0% in terms of relative error (RE). The method was successfully applied for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of venlafaxine capsule in 20 healthy volunteers. The results show AUC, T(max), C(max) and T(1/2) between the testing formulation and reference formulation have no significant difference (p > 0.05). Relative bioavailability was 103.4 +/- 14.1%.     

A rapid and highly sensitive UPLC-MS-MS method for the quantification of zolpidem tartrate in human EDTA plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study

A rapid and high sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of zolpidem in human EDTA plasma using ondansetron (IS) as an internal standard. The analyte and IS were extracted from human plasma using ethyl acetate and separated on a C18 column (Inertsil-ODS, 5 μm, 4.6 × 50 mm) interfaced with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. The mobile phase, which consisted of a mixture of methanol and 20 mM ammonium formate (pH 5.00 ± 0.05; 75:25 v/v), was injected at a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The retention times of zolpidem and IS were approximately 1.76 and 1.22. The LC run time was 3 min. The electrospray ionization source was operated in positive ion mode. Multiple reaction monitoring used the [M + H](+) ions m/z 308.13 → 235.21 for zolpidem and m/z 294.02 → 170.09 for the ondansetron, respectively. Five freeze-thaw cycles was established at -20 and -70°C.The linearity of the response/concentration curve was established in human EDTA plasma over the concentration range 0.10-149.83 ng/mL. The lower detection limit [(signal-to-noise (S/N) > 3] was 0.04 ng/mL and the lower limit of quantification (S/N > 10) was 0.10 ng/mL. This LC-MS-MS method was validated with intra-batch and inter-batch precision of 0.52-8.66.The intra-batch and inter-batch accuracy was 96.66-106.11. Recovery of zolpidem in human plasma was 87.00% and IS recovery was 81.60%. The primary pharmacokinetic parameters were T(max) (h) = (1.25 ± 0.725), C(max) (ng/mL) (127.80 ± 34.081), AUC(0→t), = (665.37 ± 320.982) and AUC(0→∞), 686.03 ± 342.952, respectively.     

Quantification of urapidil, α-1-adrenoreceptor antagonist, in plasma by LC-MS/MS: validation and application to pharmacokinetic studies

A sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–positive ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of urapidil in plasma. Following liquid–liquid extraction, the analyte was separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reverse‐phase column and analyzed by MS/MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M + H]⁺ ions, m/z 388 to 205 for urapidil and m/z 452 to 344 for the internal standard. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1–500 ng/mL for urapidil in plasma. Acceptable precision (<7%) and accuracy (100 ± 8%) were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. The method was successfully applied to quantify urapidil concentrations in a preclinical pharmacokinetic study after a single oral administration of urapidil at 3 mg/kg to rats. Following oral administration the maximum mean concentration in plasma (C_max; 616 ± 73 ng/mL) was achieved at 0.5 h (T_max) and area under curve (AUC_0–24) was 1841 ± 308 ng h/mL. The half‐life (t_1/2) and clearance (Cl) were 2.47 ± 0.4 h and 1660 ± 276 mL/h/kg, respectively. Moreover, it is plausible that the assay method in rat plasma would facilitate the adaptability of urapidil quantification in human plasma for clinical trials. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for simultaneous identification and quantification of marker compounds including bilobalide,ginkgolides and flavonoids in Ginkgo biloba L. extract and pharmaceutical preparations

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven major chemical markers (bilobalide, ginkgolides A, B, C, kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin) in phytopharmaceuticals of Ginkgo biloba L. The intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) and inter-day RSD's were based on the analysis of the standardized Ginkgo biloba L. extract on the same day and on the following 3 consecutive days. The intra-day RSD's ranged from 1.21% (bilobalide) to 6.20% (kaempferol). The inter-day RSD's ranged from 2.10% (bilobalide) to 10.42% (isorhamnetin). Mean recoveries ranged from a low of 63.0 +/- 5.3% (isorhamnetin) to a maximum of 103.5 +/- 6.0% (ginkgolide A). Calibration curves were linear in ranges between 2.73 and 36.36 microg/ml for the markers. Limits of detection ranged from a low of 0.5 microg/ml (bilobalide) to a high of 2.5 microg/ml (quercetin). The limits of quantitation were a low of 1.1 microg/ml (gingkolides A, B, C) to a high of 7.5 microg/ml (kaempferol). The method was applied to a standard extract (>6% total terpenoids and >24% total flavonoids) and six ginkgo capsule phytopharmaceuticals.     

Development and validation of an LC-MS-MS method for the simultaneous determination of sulforaphane and its metabolites in rat plasma and its application in pharmacokinetic studies

A highly sensitive and simple high-performance liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS-MS) assay is developed and validated for the quantification of sulforaphane and its metabolites in rat plasma. Sulforaphane (SFN) and its metabolites, sulforaphane glutathione (SFN-GSH) and sulforaphane N-acetyl cysteine (SFN-NAC) conjugates, are extracted from rat plasma by methanol-formic acid (100:0.1, v/v) and analyzed using a reversed-phase gradient elution on a Develosil 3 μm RP-Aqueous C(30) 140? column. A 15-min linear gradient with acetonitrile-water (5:95, v/v), containing 10 mM ammonium acetate and 0.2% formic acid, as mobile phase A, and acetonitrile-water (95:5, v/v), containing 10 mM ammonium acetate and 0.2% formic acid as mobile phase B, is used. Sulforaphane and its metabolites are well separated. Sulforaphene is used as the internal standard. The lower limits of quantification are 1 ng/mL for SFN and 10 ng/mL for both SFN-NAC and SFN-GSH. The calibration curves are linear over the concentration range of 25-20,000 ng/mL of plasma for each analyte. This novel LC-MS-MS method shows satisfactory accuracy and precision and is sufficiently sensitive for the performance of pharmacokinetic studies in rats.     

A backscattering light detection assembly for sensitive determination of analyte concentrated at the liquid/liquid interface using the interaction of quercetin with proteins as the model system

We report on the construction of a backscattering light (BSL) detection assembly based on detecting angle-dependent light scattering signals, by changing the sample chamber of a common spectrofluorometer. The BSL detection assembly was used to detect, with high sensitivity, the analyte concentrated at the liquid/liquid interface. We applied this assembly to study the interaction of proteins with quercetin in the presence of cationic surfactant. The species resulting from the interaction of quercetin with proteins, when concentrated at the H2O/CCl4 interface, generate enhanced BSL signals characterized at 376.0 nm which were found to be proportional to human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the range of 1-1250 ng mL(-1) and 2-1250 ng mL(-1), respectively. Limits of determination (3sigma) of 75 and 180 pg mL(-1) are reported for the two proteins.     

A sensitive method for determination of salvianolic acid A in rat plasma using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Salvianolic acid A (SAA), a major effective constituent of Salvia miltiorrhizas, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. A sensitive rapid analytical method was established and validated for SAA in rat plasma, which was further applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of SAA in rats receiving a single oral dose of SAA. The method used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode with chloramphenicol as the internal standard. A simple liquid-liquid extraction based on ethyl acetate was employed. The combination of a simple sample cleanup and short chromatographic run time (3 min) increased the throughput of the method substantially. The method was validated over the range 1.4-1000 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient >0.99. The lower limit of quantification was 1.4 ng/mL for SAA in plasma. Intra- and inter-day accuracies for SAA were 95-113 and 98-107%, and the inter-day precision was less than 12%. This method is more sensitive and faster than previous methods. After a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg of SAA, the mean peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of SAA was 318 ng/mL at 0.5 h, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-12 h) was 698 +/- 129 ng.h/mL, and the elimination half-life (T1/2) was 3.29 h.     

Optimization and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of nicotine,cotinine, <Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis>-3′-hydroxycotinine and norcotinine in human oral fluid

An analytical procedure was developed and validated for the simultaneous identification and quantification of nicotine, cotinine, trans-3′-hydroxycotinine, and norcotinine in 0.5 mL of human oral fluid collected with the Quantisal™ oral fluid collection device. Solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring were utilized. Endogenous and exogenous interferences were extensively evaluated. Limits of quantification were empirically identified by decreasing analyte concentrations. Linearity was from 1 to 2,000 ng/mL for nicotine and norcotinine, 0.5 to 2,000 ng/mL for trans-3′-hydroxycotinine, and 0.2 to 2,000 ng/mL for cotinine. Correlation coefficients for calibration curves were >0.99 and analytes quantified within ±13% of target at all calibrator concentrations. Suitable analytical recovery (>91%) was achieved with extraction efficiencies >56% and matrix effects <29%. This assay will be applied to the quantification of nicotine and metabolites in oral fluid in a clinical study determining the most appropriate nicotine biomarker concentrations differentiating active, passive, and environmental nicotine exposure.     

Determination of ligustilide in rat blood and tissues by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method was developed to study the pharmacokinetics of ligustilide following oral administration to rats. The method was used for the analysis of samples taken from rats. Biological samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using an n-hexane-ether (2:1) solvent mixture for a sample clean-up step and analyzed by GC/MS with a quadrupole MS detector in selected ion monitoring mode (m/z 190). The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range 0.172-8.60 microg/mL (r > 0.99) for blood samples and a different range (r > 0.99) for different tissue samples. The limit of detection (LOD) was 1.0 ng/mL or 1.0 ng/g (three times the signal-noise ratio). Within- and between-day precision expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD) for the method was 1.58-3.88 and 2.99-4.91%, respectively. The recovery for all samples was >80%, except for liver samples (>70%). The main pharmacokinetic parameters obtained were: T(max) = 0.65 +/- 0.07 h, C(max) = 1.5 +/- 0.2 microg/mL, AUC = 34 +/- 6 h microg/mL and K(a) = 3.5 +/- 0.6/h. The experimental results showed that ligustilide was easily absorbed, but its elimination was slow, from 3 to 12 h after oral administration. The concentrations of ligustilide in rat cerebellum, cerebrum, spleen and kidney were higher than those in other organs.     

Determination of ipriflavone in human plasma by LC-MS and its application in a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric method was developed for the quantification of ipriflavone in human plasma. The method utilized liquid-liquid extraction of plasma with ethyl acetate. A gradient elution was performed on a Hedera ODS-2 column (150×2.1 mm i.d., 5 μm), using a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid solution and methanol at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The single quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in selected-ion monitoring mode via positive electrospray ionization interface detecting m/z 239.1 and 285.1 for ipriflavone and diazepam (the internal standard), respectively. To improve the selectivity and sensitivity, the fragment ion m/z 239.1, which was produced by in-source collision-induced dissociation, was chosen as the quantitative ion for ipriflavone. The method was fully validated and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of ipriflavone. After oral administration of a single 200 mg ipriflavone tablet, the C(max,) AUC(0-72 h) , t(1/2) and T(max) were 6.3±6.3 ng/mL, 80.0±69.1 μg h/L, 23.0±8.6 h and 3.4±2.1 h, respectively.     

Determination of flavonoids as complexes with Al3+ in microemulsion media by HPLC method with fluorescence detection

The scheme of postcolumn complexation reaction of flavonoids with aluminum (III) ions in various microemulsion media followed by fluorimetric detection is proposed. It is shown that fluorescence intensity of such complexes is five, three, and three times higher for quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol, respectively, when compared with the complexes obtained by dissolving flavonoids in MeCN/0.1 M HCl (30/70) and AlCl₃ in H₂O. The prospect of using microemulsions for quantitative quercetin extraction from plant raw material is demonstrated. Recovery of quercetin from onion peel is 98% with detection limits being 100, 45, and 15 ng/L for quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol, respectively. Quercetin content in three types of onion peel is determined. This content is found to be 34 ± 3 and 5 ± 1 mg/g for yellow and purple onion peel, respectively, while the content in white onion peel is below the detection limit.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprint analysis for different origins of sea buckthorn berries

Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a chemical fingerprint method was developed for investigating and demonstrating the variance of flavonoids among different origins of sea buckthorn berries. Thirty-four samples were analyzed including 15 RS (Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. sinensis) samples, 7 RY (H. rhamnoindes ssp. yunnanensis) samples, 5 RW (H. rhamnoides ssp. wolongensis) samples, 4 NS (H. neurocarpa ssp. stellatopilosa) samples and 3 TI (H. tibetana) samples. In the HPLC chromatograms, 12 compounds were identified as flavonoids, including quercetin 3-O-sophoroside-7-rhamnoside, kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside-7-O-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-sophoroside-7-O-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin, kaempferol 7-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol and isorhamnetin. Both correlation coefficient of similarity in chromatograms and relative peak areas of characteristic compounds were calculated for quantitative expression of the HPLC fingerprints. Our results revealed that the chromatographic fingerprint combining similarity evaluation could efficiently identify and distinguish sea buckthorn berries from different species. However, no obvious difference between RS and RY suggested that the two subspecies might have very close relationship in terms of chemotaxonomy. The established method was considered to be suitable for fingerprint analysis to check the genuine origin and control the quality of sea buckthorn berries and extracts.     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Four Flavonols in Food Supplements and Pharmaceutical Formulations

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) as a powerful separation technique has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the four flavonols rutin, quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin in food supplements and pharmaceutical formulations. The chromatographic separation was achieved in 36?min using a Symmetry C₁₈ column (250?×?3?mm; 5?µm) as the stationary phase and a mixture of methanol, acetonitrile, and pH 2.5 aqueous acetic acid as the mobile phase in gradient elution mode. The analytical wavelengths were 256?nm for rutin, quercetin and isorhamnetin, and 368?nm for kaempferol. An ultrasound-assisted extraction protocol was performed using methanol as solvent. The detection and quantification limits were lower than 0.03?µg mL^?1 and 0.08?µg mL^?1, respectively. The inter-day and intra-day precisions were less than 4.8 and 5.1%, respectively, and the average recoveries were in the range from 96 to 107%. The method was applied for the determination of the studied flavonols in food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations. The satisfactory recovery values demonstrate the potential of the developed method for the determination of the analytes in these samples. In addition, the method is suitable for routine quality control due its ease of operation.