Study of biologically active substances in Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. herb (aerial parts) by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

Introduction. Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) is an Ayurvedic medicinal plant with pronounced nootropic and neuroprotective properties. The therapeutic effect of preparations based on it is mainly associated with the content of triterpene saponins, but other components, including phenolic compounds, contribute to the overall effect. Despite the long history of medicinal use, there are few studies of the diversity of biologically active substances (BASs) of B. monnieri.

Aim. Analysis of the component composition of biologically active substances of Bacopa monnieri herb (aerial parts) extracted with 80 % ethyl alcohol using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (UPLC-MS).

Materials and methods. The study subject was B. monnieri herb (Hassan, India). A 1 : 10 extract was obtained by threefold extraction with 80 % ethyl alcohol. The qualitative composition of the obtained extract was studied by UPLC-MS on a Waters Acquity chromatograph with a diode-array UV detector and a TQD MS detector (Waters Corporation, USA) under the following conditions: Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (0.21 × 15.0 cm, 1.7 μm), gradient elution mode (solvent A – water-acetonitrile mixture (95 : 5) with 0.1 % formic acid, solvent B – acetonitrile with 0.1 % formic acid), column temperature 35 °C, flow rate 0.25 mL/min, UV detection at 220–500 nm, mass spectrometry in the positive and negative ion registration modes.

Results and discussion. In 80 % ethanol extract of B. monnieri herb, 14 phenolic compounds were detected, of which 7 were identified (hydroxycinnamic acids and their glycosides: caffeic acid 4-O-glucuronide, monnieraside III, plantainoside B, 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-2-feruloyl-D-glucoside, flavonoids: quercetin-3-glucuronide, luteolin-7-glucuronide, apigenin-7- glucuronide). Targeted search for saponins at 455 selected ion mass detected 12 compounds and identified 6 of them: bacoside A3, bacopasides II and VII, bacomosaponins A and B, bacopasaponin C.

Conclusion. The composition of an 80 % ethanol extract of B. monnieri was studied using UPLC-MS. Luteolin-7-glucuronide, quercetin-7-glucuronide, caffeic acid 4-O-glucuronide and 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)-2-feruloyl-D-glucoside were identified for the first time in the raw material of this species.

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