ISOLATION AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF QUERCITRIN IN LEAVES OF SOME POLYSCIAS SPECIES COLLECTED IN VIETNAM

From the leaves of Polyscias fruticosa, the major compound quercitrin, a flavonol glycoside, was isolated and elucidated. The contents of quercitrin in some Polyscias species leaves were quantitatively determined using an HPLC-DAD method, an Agilent C18 column, and an isocratic solvent system of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acid in water (84:16, v/v). The flow rate was kept at 0.8 mL/min. The injection volume was 10 µL. Detection was set at a wavelength of 257 nm. The method was validated for the system suitability (RSD of peak area = 0.43%; RSD of tR = 0.06 %); linearity ranging from 12.5 to 100.0 μg/mL (R = 1); precision (RSD < 2.0 %), accuracy (recovery: 97.85%-102.63%). The limit detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.33 μg/mL and 0.99 μg/mL, respectively. The method was further applied to determine the quantity of quercitrin in some Polyscias species collected in Vietnam, and the results showed that all of these Polyscias leaves contain quercitrin. The leaves of P.  fruticosa with the contents varying from 0.13 to 0.32 %, indicating that quercitrin could be regarded as a qualitative and quantitative marker compound for the leaves of Polyscias species. This is the first study to report a quantitative method for determining quercitrin in the Polyscias genus.