Chemical characterization of different types of herbs using instrumentation methods

Abstract

A simple High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) methods were developed and validated for the determination of specific polyphenol components such as Rosmarinic Acid (RA), Eupatorin (EUP), Sinensitin (SIN) and 3’-hydroxy-5,6,7,4’-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF), as well as vincristine and vinblastine, in shoot, leave, stem and root extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus (also known as Misai Kucing) and Catharanthus roseus (also known as Vinca rosea) herb respectively. Separation and quantitative analysis of extracts using Ethanol Extraction, Water Extraction and Pressure Extraction were performed using Shimadzu HPLC System. An isocratic mobile phase consisted of water, methanol and tetrahydrofluoride (50:45:5, v/v) were used in this study. An FTIR analysis was performed to determine the functional groups present in the extracts. The concentrations of the phenolic compounds in the shoot, leave, stem and root extracts were determined using HPLC with ultraviolet detection at 340 nm. The analysis showed that the concentration of RA and EUP in leaves of Misai Kucing was higher than other parts of the plant. Meanwhile, the concentrations of vincristine and vinblastine in each parts of Vinca plant were undetectable. However, Water Extraction technique seems to be the most economical, time-consuming and environmental friendly compared to two other methods.