Determination of selected biologically active substances in the adaptogenic herb Rhaponticum carthamoides using HPLC-MS/MS

Rhaponticum carthamoides (Willd.) Iljin, widely known as maral root, is an adaptogenic herb that has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. According to the presence of a large number of bioactive substances, the herb has significant beneficial effects on human health. Nowadays, maral root is sold on the market in many forms, such as dried root, milled plant, capsules, tinctures and seeds. This study aimed to develop new analytical methods for the determination of bioactive compounds in the plant itself and dietary supplements using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. For this purpose, a wide spectrum of supplements was purchased. Based on optimisation experiments, 60% ethanol and tert-butyl methyl ether were selected as extraction solvents. In plant ethanolic extracts, more than 20 polyphenolic compounds such as kaempferol, quercetin, naringenin, hesperetin and 2 ecdysteroids 20-hydroxyecdyson and polypodine B were quantified. To extract the remaining steroidal compounds, tert-butyl methyl ether was used. Due to insufficient ionisation of stigmasterol and β-sitosterol at the ion source, a derivatization method was required to be developed and optimised. The best result showed the derivatization agent 2-fluoro-1-methylpyridinium p-toluenesulfonate. Subsequently, an analysis of the obtained samples was performed. The abundance of compounds was quite diverse, while the most abundant one was 20-hydroxyecdysone. Variability may be caused by the quality of plant material, collection location, season, climate and other external conditions. Using the developed methods, selected bioactive compounds in R. carthamoides and dietary supplements were successfully quantified by HPLC-MS/MS analysis.

Publication History

Article published online:
16 November 2023