Variation analysis of flavonoids cotents and nitric oxide production inhibition in different parts from Hypericum perforatum / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective To provide a chemometric analytical approach for different parts classification from Hypericum perforatum using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) combined with chemometrics methods. Methods The ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column was used, and 0.2% formic acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile as gradient elution system. The chromatograms information of different parts that including flower, fruit, leaf, stem and root from Hypericum perforatum L. was collected. The original data were pretreated by centralization and normalization, analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and PLS-tree cluster analysis, and monitored by the half inhibition concentratiom of nitric oxide (NO) production activity as an anti-inflammatory factor, in order to evaluate the similarities and differences in flavonoids cotents and nitric oxide production inhibition in different parts from H. perforatum. Results All the calibration curves of 6 flavonoids showed good linearity in each range with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999 that had good precision, repeatability and stability, and the average recovery ranged from 97.28% to 102.84%. By PLS-DA and PLS-tree, according to the data of flavonoids contents and NO product inhibition activities, it showed the quality of leaf > flower > stem > fruit > root for H. perforatum. Conclusion The established method suggested that an appropriate harvest part of H. perforatum is the stem part on the ground.