Original scientific paper
Quantitative analysis of arbutin and hydroquinone in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae) leaves by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Karlo Jurica
orcid.org/0000-0001-8583-2241
; Special Security Operations Directorate, Ministry of the Interior, Zagreb, Croatia
Irena Brčić Karačonji
orcid.org/0000-0002-1151-8839
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Sandra Šegan
; Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Dušanka Milojković Opsenica
orcid.org/0000-0001-6274-4222
; Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Dario Kremer
; Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The phenolic glycoside arbutin and its metabolite with uroantiseptic activity hydroquinone occur naturally in the leaves of various medicinal plants and spices. In this study, an extraction procedure coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed to determine arbutin and hydroquinone content in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae) leaves. The method showed good linearity (R2>0.9987) in the tested concentration range (0.5-200 μg mL-1), as well as good precision (RSD<5 %), analytical recovery (96.2-98.0 %), and sensitivity (limit of detection=0.009 and 0.004 μg mL-1 for arbutin and hydroquinone, respectively). The results obtained by the validated GC-MS method corresponded well to those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The proposed method was then applied for determining arbutin and hydroquinone content in methanolic leaf extracts. The amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Koločep (6.82 mg g-1 dry weight) was found to be higher (tpaired=43.57, tc=2.92) in comparison to the amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Mali Lošinj (2.75 mg g-1 dry weight). Hydroquinone was not detected in any of the samples. The analytical features of the proposed GC-MS method demonstrated that arbutin and hydroquinone could be determined alternatively by gas chromatography. Due to its wide concentration range, the method could also be suitable for arbutin and hydroquinone analysis in leaves of other plant families (Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, etc.).
Keywords
Ericaceae; food safety; GC-MS; HPLC; solvent extraction
Hrčak ID:
145618
URI
Publication date:
24.9.2015.
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