Chemical profiles by thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography of plant species from Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Background: Fingerprint analysis plays a key role in quality control of herbal medicines due to its technical capacity to represent the chemical diversity of these complex matrices. Several traditional Brazilian species showed very little data in their chemical profiles. Objective: Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical profiles of Brazilian herbal species by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Materials and Methods: The herbal materials of 7 species (Anacardium occidentale, Annona muricata, Guazuma ulmifolia, Phyllanthus niruri, Psidium guajava, Punica granatum, and Spondias mombin) were collected from three different locations in Northeast Brazil, botanically authenticated and their chemical profile analyzed by TLC (cinnamics, flavonoids, and tannins) and by HPLC (polyphenols). Results: The chromatographic data showed the similarities between chemical profiles of the sample fingerprints, confirming the presence of several classes of secondary metabolites as well as the identification of different chemical standards (catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid, quercetin, or rutin). Conclusion: The chromatographic profiling of the herbal drugs by TLC and HPLC were successfully characterized and allowed for the identification of promising chemical markers, improving the state of art in the quality control of the herbal species investigated in this study. Abbreviations used: HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography; PVDF: Polyvinylidene fluoride; RP-LC: Reverse-phase liquid chromatography; TLC: Thin-layer chromatography; UV-spectrum: Ultraviolet spectrum.