Effect-Directed Profiling of 17 Different Fortified Plant Extracts by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Combined with Six Planar Assays and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Gertrud E Morlock,César Cotte,Valérie Bardot,Loïc Lenoir,Julia Heil,Michel Dubourdeaux

doi:10.3390/molecules26051468

Abstract

An effect-directed profiling method was developed to investigate 17 different fortified plant extracts for potential benefits. Six planar effect-directed assays were piezoelectrically sprayed on the samples separated side-by-side by high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Multipotent compounds with antibacterial, α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, AChE, tyrosinase and/or β-glucuronidase-inhibiting effects were detected in most fortified plant extracts. A comparatively high level of antimicrobial activity was observed for Eleutherococcus, hops, grape pomace, passiflora, rosemary and Eschscholzia. Except in red vine, black radish and horse tail, strong enzyme inhibiting compounds were also detected. Most plants with anti-α-glucosidase activity also inhibited β-glucosidase. Green tea, lemon balm and rosemary were identified as multipotent plants. Their multipotent compound zones were characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry to be catechins, rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid and gallic acid. The results pointed to antibacterial and enzymatic effects that were not yet known for plants such as Eleutherococcus and for compounds such as cynaratriol and caffeine. The nontarget effect-directed profiling with multi-imaging is of high benefit for routine inspections, as it provides comprehensive information on the quality and safety of the plant extracts with respect to the global production chain. In this study, it not only confirmed what was expected, but also identified multipotent plants and compounds, and revealed new bioactivity effects.

Highlights

The complexity of the composition of plants and plant extracts gives them properties that are different from and even superior to those of isolated compounds [1,2]
The nontarget high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed with the aim of spreading the inherent compounds along the developing distance
The vertical UV/Vis/FLD profiles showed clear differences between the methanolic extracts (Figure 1, IDs 1–18). This outcome was considered a good start to continue with the six effect-directed assays for the detection of the antibacterials and the inhibitors of AChE, α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, β-glucuronidase, and tyrosinase

Summary

Introduction

The complexity of the composition of plants and plant extracts gives them properties that are different from and even superior to those of isolated compounds [1,2]. The bioactive metabolites on which the effects in humans and animals depend can highly vary in quantity or be lost or degraded during the production of plant extracts [5,6] It depends on the quality of the raw material, the applied preprocessing steps, the extraction method used and further treatments during production. Information generally given on the production of the so-called botanicals on the market is sparse; almost all specifications lack crucial and more detailed information on the production and final composition of such commercially available plant extracts. This applies in particular to the most important bioactive ingredient profile, which has not yet been harmonized and matched to all relevant active ingredients

Methods

Results

Conclusion