Coumarins in horse chestnut flowers: isolation and quantification by UPLC method

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) is a plant species known for its medicinal properties.
• Coumarins are a class of secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities.
• The chemical composition of horse chestnut flowers, particularly coumarin content, requires detailed investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and identify specific coumarins from horse chestnut flowers.
• To determine the precise content of isolated coumarins using quantitative analytical methods.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of coumarins using phytochemical extraction techniques.
• Identification of coumarins through spectrophotometric analysis, including UV-Vis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and ESI-MS.
• Quantification of coumarins utilizing Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC).

Main Results:

• Scopoletin, esculetin, and fraxetin were successfully isolated and identified from the flowers.
• The determined contents were 0.41% for scopoletin, 0.13% for esculetin, and 0.05% for fraxetin.
• The study provides precise quantitative data on these specific coumarins in Aesculus hippocastanum flowers.

Conclusions:

• The flowers of Aesculus hippocastanum are a rich source of scopoletin, esculetin, and fraxetin.
• The applied analytical methods (spectrophotometry and UPLC) are effective for coumarin identification and quantification.
• This research contributes valuable phytochemical data on horse chestnut flower constituents.