Proanthocyanidins in Rhodiola kirilowii and Rhodiola rosea callus tissues and transformed roots – determination with UPLC-MS/MS method

Abstract

Several species of Rhodiola genus (Crassulaceae family) like Rhodiola kirilowii and Rhodiola rosea are used in official or traditional medicine.The aim of this study was to determine qualitative and quantitative content of proanthocyanidins using ultra performance liquid chromatograph connected to a tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC MS/MS method) in the callus tissues and in the transformed roots (infected by Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA 9402 strain) of R. kirilowii and R. rosea. This validated assay allows to determine the content of five flavan-3-ols: (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Our results concerning the material from in vitro cultivation of R. kirilowii and R. rosea indicate that R. rosea callus can be a better source of catechin when compared with other tested materials, especially then the content of (-)-gallate epigallocatechin is taken under consideration (3.429 mg/100 g of dry powdered material). The application of UPLC MS/MS method allowed to determine the content of proanthocyanidins in tested samples with satisfactory precision and can be used in the phytochemical investigations of Rhodiola sp. in vitro cultivated tissues.