NMR-Based Metabolite Fingerprinting for Assessment of Commercial Aloe Samples and Differentiation of Aloe Species

Aloe has been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Traditionally, it is used for the treatment of constipation, burns, dermal irritation, ulcer and dermatitis [1]. Studies have shown that components of Aloe have various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, wound-healing, immunomodulating, hypoglycemic, gastric ulcer treatment and antiviral effects [1,2]. Aloe products are widely used in various fields of industry, making it a ˜100 billion dollar industry. Adulteration represents a major concern for the Aloe market. Three species of Aloe (A. vera, A. arborescens and A. ferox) have been commonly used in the Aloe industry. It is a challenge to describe, identify and standardize aloe gels from different species [3,4]. This study provided a survey of commercial aloe samples. Twenty three commercial Aloe samples were examined and compared with IASC Aloe gel standards. The ¹H NMR fingerprint, profile of organic acids, the profile of free sugars, and the profile of aloe polysaccharides were used to assess authenticity and quality of these samples. In addition, the NMR fingerprint of three Aloe species were investigated and compared.

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Acknowledgments: This research is supported in part by „Science Based Authentication of Dietary Supplements“ and „Botanical Dietary Supplement Research“ funded by the Food and Drug Administration grant numbers 5U01FD002071–09 and 1U01FD003871–01, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58–6408–2-0009. References: [1] Reynolds T, (2004) Med. Aromat. Plants–Ind. Profiles 38: 39–74. [2] Hamman JH, (2008) Molecules 13(8): 1599–1616. [3] Esua MF, Rauwald JW (2006) Carbohydr Res 341(3): 355–364. [4] Ni Y, Tizard IR (2004) Med. Aromat. Plants–Ind. Profiles 38: 111–126.