Determination of (-)-demecolcine and (-)-colchicine content in selected Jordanian Colchicum species

In our continuing attempt to investigate Jordanian Colchicum species as a potential and viable source of colchicinoids; the distributions of the most interesting colchicinoid alkaloids (-)-demecolcine and (-)-colchicine in different plant parts of wildly growing C. crocifolium Boiss., C. ritchii R. Br., and C. triphyllum Kunze, were analyzed. The method is based on the use of external reference standards and a reversed-phase gradient HPLC. While (-)-colchicine was found in all plant parts of the three investigated Colchicum species, (-)-demecolcine was not detected in the leaves and daughter corms of C. triphyllum, the corms of C. crocifolium, and the flowers, stems, and mother and daughter corms of C. ritchii. C. triphyllum was found to be the highest in total (-)-colchicine content of 0.10% (wt/wt), while C. crocifolium was the highest in total (-)-demecolcine content of 0.09% (wt/wt). During flowering, leaves and corms in C. crocifolium, and leaves and stems in C. ritchii are the main storages of (-)-colchicine. (-)-Colchicine showed a homogenous distribution in all plant parts (stems, leaves, and mother and daughter corms) of C. triphyllum of 0.10% (wt/wt). Regarding (-)-demecolcine, stems and leaves of C. crocifolium, stems of C. triphyllum, and leaves of C. ritchii are the main storages. This work reports for the first time the presence of (-)-colchicine and (-)-demecolcine in C. crocifolium.