Rapid, Reliable, and Green: A Novel RP-HPLC Method for Quercetin Estimation in Green-Synthesized Nanoparticles

Quercetin (QUE) is a natural flavonoid phyto-constituent found in fruits and vegetables with diverse medicinal properties. Green synthesis nanoparticles using plant extracts have gained attention for their eco-friendly and safe approach. The present work aimed to develop a facile, accurate, and reliable reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) technique to determine QUE in nanoparticles. Chromatographic separation was done with a C18 column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) with a mobile phase of methanol and 0.1% orthophosphoric acid (OPA) (80:20, v/v) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at 371 nm. The method developed for QUE proved to be highly linear in the range of 0.1-8.0 μg/mL (R²>0.999) with a retention time of 3.5 min. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.6 and 2.1 μg/mL, respectively. Validation parameters such as accuracy, precision, robustness, and specificity were in accordance with ICH guidelines. The novelty of the research work depends on attaining a maximum of QUE at a lower retention time compared to conventional methods.