Determination of Cichoric Acid as a Biomarker in Echinacea Purpurea Cultivated in Iran Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Echinacea purpurea (Purple coneflower) is an immunostimulating drug, containing multiple substances. The most important substance in activity is polysaccharide, caffeic acid derivatives (cichoric acid), alkamides and glycoproteins. It is not clear yet, which substances are responsible for activity. Cichoric acid is an appropriate marker of the quality of Echinacea purpurea containing product, because it has immune stimulatory effects and it is susceptible to degradation. In this study a TLC scanner system and HPLC method has been used for identification and determination of cichoric acid in aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea. The results showed that the cichoric acid content of Echinacea purpurea cultivated in Iran is about 1.50 ±0.65% (w/w) which is comparable with cichoric acid content in native plants. The local conditions have no significant effect on cichoric acid content as a biomarker of Echinacea purpurea quality.

Difference analysis of different parts of chicory based on HPLC fingerprint and multi-component content determination

Objective:To establish HPLC fingerprints of different parts of chicory stems,leaves,roots,flowers and seeds,and compare the similarities and differences of chemical components in different parts,so as to provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of chicory.Methods:To establish the HPLC fingerprint of chicory,the chromatographic column was chosen with Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse XDB-C_(18),the mobile phase was methanol(A)-0.2%formic acid(B),the flow rate was 1 mL/min,the column temperature was 30℃,and the detection wavelength was 254 nm.The Similarity Evaluation System of Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2012 Edition)was used to evaluate the similarity of different parts of decoction pieces,and the determination method of multi-component content was established based on fingerprint identification chromatographic peaks,and the determination results were analyzed.Results:The HPLC fingerprinting method of chicory was established.Sixteen chromatographic peaks were identified and 10 of them were identified as:caftaric acid(1),esculin(2),chlorogenic acid(3),esculetin(4),caffeic acid(5),cichoric acid(8),hyperoside(11),rutin(12),isochlorogenic acid C(14)and luteolin(16).The similarity of different parts was 0.084–0.701.At the same time,the total content of detected chemical components was ranked as flower>leaf>stem>root>seed.Roots did not contain caftaric acid,rutin,and luteolin,flowers did not contain luteolin,and seeds did not contain caftaric acid,cichoric acid,and luteolin.The content of cichoric acid in leaves was the most,and esculin in flowers was the most.Conclusion:The results of HPLC fingerprint and multi-component content determination revealed the similarity and difference of different parts of chicory from chemical composition,indicating that there were certain differences in different parts of chicory.The established HPLC fingerprinting method can provide a reference for quality control and evaluation of different parts of the chicory.