Abstract
BackgroundPerilla frutescens (L.) Britt. is not only an edible plant but also a traditional medicinal plant commonly used for treating common cold. It is widely cultivated in southern China. The anatomical parts of P. frutescens that are recorded as medicines in the Chinese material medica are: Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus, which are the dried stems, the dried leaves and the dried ripe fruits, respectively. Rosmarinic acid is one of major polyphenolic ingredients found in all three Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus. The characteristic volatile oil of P. frutescens is believed to be another essential composition of the herb, giving its wide range of use.ResultsA simple, rapid and accurate HPLC-DAD method was set up, suitable for the assay of rosmarinic acid in Perillae Fructus, Perillae Folium and Perillae Caulis. 12 batches of Perillae Caulis, 12 batches of Perillae Folium and 13 batches of Perillae Fructus from 8 different regions of mainland China and Hong Kong herbal markets were collected for evaluating the quality of P. frutescens. Results showed that Perillae Folium typically had the highest content of rosmarinic acid. Certain macroscopic characteristics were related to the concentration of rosmarinic acid. The volatile components were identified and compared in Perillae Fructus, Perillae Folium and Perillae Caulis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Extracts were prepared by steam distillation. Twelve, seventeen and nine compounds were identified and accounted for 69.71%, 50.54% and 81.73% of all identified peak areas in Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus respectively. The identified components were analyzed for comparison of Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus more effectively.ConclusionsThis work provides a means by which samples of various parts of P. frutescens can be evaluated in terms of their pharmacologically active components. It should be of value in the efficient exploitation of P. frutescens plant material in clinical applications and drug development.
Highlights
Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. is an edible plant and a traditional medicinal plant commonly used for treating common cold
In the Chinese Pharmacopeia 2010 [1], the dried stem of P. frutescens is recorded as Perillae Caulis (PCa), the dried leaf of P. frutescens is recorded as Perillae Folium (PFo) and the dried seed of P. frutescens is recorded as Perillae Fructus (PFr)
Optimization of quantitative analysis of rosmarinic acid The extraction solvents including methanol, 70% methanol, ethanol and 70% ethanol were optimized. (Additional file 1: Table S1) illustrated that ethanol could not extract Rosmarinic acid (RA) from PCa-01, PFo-01 or PFr-01. 70% methanol extracted the highest amount of RA from the three parts of P. frutescens as the peak area-to-weight ratio was the highest as compared to using 70% ethanol and methanol as extraction solvents
Summary
A simple, rapid and accurate HPLC-DAD method was set up, suitable for the assay of rosmarinic acid in Perillae Fructus, Perillae Folium and Perillae Caulis. 12 batches of Perillae Caulis, batches of Perillae Folium and batches of Perillae Fructus from 8 different regions of mainland China and Hong Kong herbal markets were collected for evaluating the quality of P. frutescens. A simple, rapid and accurate HPLC-DAD method was set up, suitable for the assay of rosmarinic acid in Perillae Fructus, Perillae Folium and Perillae Caulis. 12 batches of Perillae Caulis, batches of Perillae Folium and batches of Perillae Fructus from 8 different regions of mainland China and Hong Kong herbal markets were collected for evaluating the quality of P. frutescens. Results showed that Perillae Folium typically had the highest content of rosmarinic acid. The volatile components were identified and compared in Perillae Fructus, Perillae Folium and Perillae Caulis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Seventeen and nine compounds were identified and accounted for 69.71%, 50.54% and 81.73% of all identified peak areas in Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus respectively. The identified components were analyzed for comparison of Perillae Caulis, Perillae Folium and Perillae Fructus more effectively
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