Simultaneous Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Determination and Antioxidant Activity of Linarin, Luteolin, Chlorogenic Acid and Apigenin in Different Parts of Compositae Species

Linarin (LA), luteolin (LE), chlorogenic acid (CA) and apigenin (AP) are four major flavonoids with various promising bioactivities found in Compositae (COP) species. A reliable, reproducible and accurate method for the simultaneous and quantitative determination of these four major flavonoids by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) analysis was developed. This method should be appropriate for the quality assurance of COP. The UPLC separation was carried out using an octadecylsilane (ODS) Hypersil (2.1 mm × 250 mm, 1.9 μm) and a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water at a flow rate 0.44 mL/min and ultraviolet (UV) detection 254 nm. Gradient elution was employed. The method was precise, with relative standard deviation below 3.0% and showed excellent linearity (R² > 0.999). The recoveries for the four flavonoids in COP were between 95.49%-106.23%. The average contents of LA, LE, CA and AP in different parts (flower, leave and stem) of COP were between 0.64-1.47 g/100 g, 0.66-0.89 g/100 g, 0.32-0.52 g/100 g and 0.16-0.18 g/100 g, respectively. The method was accurate and reproducible and it can provide a quantitative basis for quality control of COP.