Comparison of proanthocyanidins content in Rhodiola kirilowii and Rhodiola rosea roots – application of UPLC-MS/MS method

Abstract

The purpose of presented study was the comparison of flavan-3-ol content in the roots of Rhodiola kirilowii and Rhodiola rosea with use of UPLC-MS/MS method. Two kinds of extract were prepared: aqueous extract and 50% v/v ethanol extract. The worked out UPLC MS/MS method allowed to determine the content of five flavan-3-ols: (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The obtained results shown that the content of measured catechins was higher in R kirilowii roots than in R rosea.Both Rhodiola roots contain EGCG as a main proanthocyanidin compound – the content in R kirilowii roots is about 0.14%. Our results indicate that application of ultra performance liquid chromatograph connected to a tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC MS/MS method) allows to determine the proanthocyanidins content in tested samples with satisfactory precision and can be used in the Rhodiola sp. phytochemical investigations.