Validated HPTLC method for quantification of rosmarinic acid in seven Salvia species

Abstract

The genus Salvia (Lamiaceae) encompasses more than 900 species throughout the world. It is represented by approximately 90 species in Turkish flora and half of which are endemic [1]. The genus has attracted a great interest so that it has long been the subject of numerous phytochemical and pharmacological activity studies. Several species of Salvia have been utilized in folk medicines for various purposes (i.e.; abdominal pain, stomachache, would healing, carminative) [2,3]. Undoubtedly, rosmarinic acid is one of most significant phenolic compound in Lamiaceae family which is restricted to the subfamily Nepetoideae, including Salvia [4]. Mostly the antioxidant activity of many medicinal plants are associated with their rosmarinic acid content and therefore the rosmarinic acid composition of Salvia genus has also gained a great interest. In this study, we report a sensitive HPTLC method in order to determine and compare the rosmarinic acid contents of seven Salvia species; S. candidissima Guss., S. dichroantha Stapf, S. heldreichiana Boiss. ex DC., S. sclarea L., S. tomentosa Mill., S. triloba L.f. as well as the official sage S. officinalis L.. The methanolic extracts of the aerial parts of the plants were migrated on silica gel 60 F254 HPTLC plates with toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (5:4:1) as mobile phase and densitometric detection of rosmarinic acid was carried out at 330nm. By this study we calculated the rosmarinic acid contents of seven Salvia species as w/w % by using HPTLC densitometric method which is validated in terms of accuracy, precision, repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, sensitivity and specificity.