Comparative study of rosmarinic acid content in Satureja species

Abstract

Satureja species are used in traditional medicine and phytotherapy mostly in gastrointestinal disorders. This genus is rich in essential oil and phenolic compounds. Rosmarinic acid which is found in this genus exhibits important biological activities such as antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti HIV properties [1–3]. In this investigation, rosmarinic acid content of different Satureja species which grow in various parts of Iran was determined by using HPLC method. Aerial parts of six Satureja species named S. hortensis, S. khuzestanica, S. bakhtiarica, S. atropa, S. mutica and S. macranta were collected, identified, dried and milled. 200mg of each plant was extracted by using water, methanol and 2- propranol in a ratio of 80:10:10 as solvent. O-phosphoric acid (0.085%) was added to the solvent subsequently. The HPLC was performed by using C18 column. The mobile phase was the same as extraction solvent with gradient mode. UV spectra were collected across the range of 200–900nm, extracting 330nm for the chromatograms. The results showed that the HPLC method could separate rosmarinic acid from other components of the plants efficiently. By using above-mentioned method, rosmarinic acid content inSatureja species was found 0.12–1.90% in dried plants. The highest amount of the rosmarinic acid was found in S. mutica, whereas S. khuzestanica contained the lowest content of rosmarinic acid.