SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF FLAVONOIDS, PHENOLIC-ACIDS, AND COUMARINS IN 7 MEDICINAL SPECIES BY HPLC DIODE-ARRAY DETECTOR/

A simple and accurate reversed phase HPLC procedure is proposed for th e determination of 19 phenolic compounds (flavonoids, phenolic acids, and coumarins) in seven medicinal species. The sample preparation invo lved extraction, alkaline and acid hydrolysis, and purification throug h a Bond-Elut C18 column. The chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed phase column Spherisorb ODS2 (5 mu m; 25.0 x 0.46 cm) . Gradient elution was carried out using water-formic acid (19:1) (A) and methanol (B). A diode-array detector monitored the effluent and ch romatograms were recorded at 280, 320, and 350 nm. The optimised metho dology seems to be useful for the phytochemical analysis of plant extr acts. A close correlation between the phenolic compound patterns and t he botanical origin of plants was found.