Characterization and determination of antioxidant components in the leaves of Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama based on composition-activity relationship approach

Jin-Bin Wei; Xiong Li; Hui Song; Yong-Hong Liang; Yu-Zheng Pan; Jun-Xiang Ruan; Xia Qin; Yong-Xin Chen; Cai-Li Nong; Zhi-Heng Su

doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2014.02.003

Characterization and determination of antioxidant components in the leaves of Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama based on composition-activity relationship approach

J Food Drug Anal. 2015 Mar;23(1):40-48. doi: 10.1016/j.jfda.2014.02.003. Epub 2014 May 9.

Authors

Jin-Bin Wei¹, Xiong Li², Hui Song¹, Yong-Hong Liang³, Yu-Zheng Pan⁴, Jun-Xiang Ruan¹, Xia Qin¹, Yong-Xin Chen¹, Cai-Li Nong¹, Zhi-Heng Su⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmaceutical Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
² Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China.
³ School of Pharmaceutical Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China. Electronic address: lyhyh@hotmail.com.
⁴ Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangxi First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
⁵ School of Pharmaceutical Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China. Electronic address: suzhiheng1981@126.com.

Abstract

Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama (CCT), an ornamental plant possessing antioxidant activity, has been infused as tea and drank for its health benefits. The antioxidant components in CCT, however, had not been clearly characterized. To quickly identify the antioxidant constituents of CCT, a composition-activity relationship strategy based on ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap hybrid orbitrap mass spectrometry and orthogonal partial least-squares method has been applied. As a result, 16 variables were found to make significant contributions to the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity. Six of them were identified as catechin (1), epicatechin (5), vitexin (8), isovitexin (10), quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (12) and kaempferol (16). The strength of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity was found to be 12 > 1 > 5 > 16 > 8 > 10 by validation test. Meanwhile, a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry method was established for quantitative determination of six marker compounds in CCT samples from different preparations. The validation of the method, including linearity, sensitivity (limitation of detection and limitation of quantification), repeatability, precision, stability, and recoveries, was carried out and demonstrated to meet the requirements of quantitative analysis. This is the first report on the comprehensive characterization and determination of chemical constituents in CCT by ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap hybrid orbitrap mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the composition-activity relationship approach may be a useful method for the discovery of active constituents in natural plants and the quality control of medicinal herbs.

Keywords: Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama; antioxidant components; composition–activity relationship ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC); linear ion trap hybrid orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Grants and funding

The research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81360638), Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2012GXNSFBA 053108), Program for Scientific Research in Guangxi Higher Education Institutions (200103YB026), and Youth Science Foundation of Guangxi Medical University (02602211014).