Identification and quantitation of polyphenols in leaves of Myrtus communis L.

A liquid-solid extraction and purification procedure (LSE) was developed to identify and quantify polyphenols in the leaf tissue of Myrtus communis L. Identification and quantitation of individual compounds was performed usin g HPTLC, HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS analysis. Leaves of Myrtus communis L. contai n small amounts of phenolic acids (caffeic, ellagic and gallic acids) and q uercetin derivatives (quercetin 3-O-galactoside and quercetin 3-O-rhamnosid e), whereas catechin derivatives (epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin 3-O-ga llate, epicatechin 3-O-gallate) and myricetin derivatives (mypicetin 3-O-ga lactoside, myricetin 3-O-rhamnoside) ape present in large amounts. This is the first report on the occurrence of galloyl-derivatives of catechin and g allo-catechin in Myrtus communis L. leaves.