Fast HILIC Method for Separation and Quantification of Non-Volatile Aromatic Compounds and Monosaccharides from Willow (Salix sp.) Bark Extract

Heidi Meriö-Talvio,Jinze Dou,Tapani Vuorinen,Leena Pitkänen

doi:10.3390/app11093808

Abstract

Willow bark water extracts contain a mixture of chemically heterogeneous compounds. Fast screening techniques of the extracts are often needed to obtain information on the profile of bioactive and/or other valuable components in the extract. This is, however, a challenging task due to the different chemical structures of the components. Willow bark extract from the hybrid Karin contains several bioactive compounds such as aromatic picein, triandrin, and (+)-catechin. Willow bark extract also contains significant amounts of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, coupled with evaporative light scattering and ultraviolet detectors, for the simultaneous separation and quantification of major aromatic compounds and monosaccharides from the willow bark extract. The ternary eluent mixture consisting of acetonitrile, water, and methanol enabled the baseline separation of the main components in the extract in a short analysis time, which makes this method ideal for fast screening of the plant extracts and investigating the purity of fractionated bioactive compounds.

Highlights

IntroductionWillow bark contains several bioactive compounds that have been used for clinical purposes (e.g., as pain relief) since ancient times [1]
We demonstrate the applicability of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, coupled with evaporative light scattering and ultraviolet detectors, for the simultaneous separation and quantification of major aromatic compounds and monosaccharides from the willow bark extract
Picein,3.triandrin, fructose, and glucose standard compounds were used for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)

Summary

Introduction

Willow bark contains several bioactive compounds that have been used for clinical purposes (e.g., as pain relief) since ancient times [1]. These bioactivities are most commonly related to the secondary metabolite salicin, which is a phenolic glycoside containing salicyl alcohol and β-D-glucopyranose moiety. Willow bark contains several other aromatic bioactive compounds such as picein, catechin, and triandrin [2,3] (Scheme 1), as well as a large amount of other extractives. A phenolic glycoside, was reported to play a role as a stress-response modifier in regulating the adaptogenic activity of a plant [6]. A flavonoid catechin may have antibacterial and anticarcinogenic functions [7]

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