Headspace gas chromatographic analysis of St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) and its medical derivatives

Abstract

Static headspace gas chromatographic analysis method using flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection was applied for the qualitative and quantitative detection of volatile components in the equilibrium vapor phase of the medicinal St. John's Wort ( Hypericum perforatum L.) plant. The optimal conditions for the gas extraction, producing repeatable and characterizing chromatographic headspace profiles of the St. John's Wort, were established. The retention indices (IiT) for the linear programming of the column temperature with a low-polar stationary phase and the relative areas of the peaks ( A rl,i ) of the St. John's Wort volatile components have been determined. The obtained results were presented in the form of specific headspace-spectra « A rl,i - I i T » of the plants. It has been demonstrated that the headspace spectra of the botanical sample (Samara) and of the three industrial specimens of St. John's Wort obtained from various regions of Russia were close to each other. Major volatile compounds of the Russian St. John's Wort were: ethanal, propanal, dimethylsulfide, 2-methylpropanal, 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (marker), 2-methylbuthanal, 2-methyloctane, α-pinene, 3-methylnonane. Current research was the first to suggest using alcohol 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol ( I i T = 617) as the volatile marker of St. John's Wort. Its relative quantity in the vapor phase of St. John's Wort ( A rl,i ) was equal to 15.53 – 20.75%. It has also been discovered that most of the components of the equilibrium phase of St. John's Wort including the 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol marker were present in the vapor phase of the St. John's Wort medicines, dry tablet extract of St. John's Wort (Deprim, Slovenia) and oil extract of St. John's Wort (Russia). Keywords : Hypericum perforatum L., medical plant raw material, phytomedicines, volatile organic compounds, gas-liquid chromatography, headspace analysis, chromatographic profile (Russian) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2018.22.2.002 N.V. Pariichuk 1 , L.A. Onuchak 1 , Iu.A. Arutiunov 1 , V.A. Kurkin 2 , O.E. Pravdivtseva 2 1 Samara National Research University,Moskovskoe sh., 34, Samara, 443086, Russian Federation 2 Samara State Medical University, Chapaevskaia ul., 89, Samara, 443099, Russian Federation