Screening of medicinal plant extracts for quercetin-3rutinoside (rutin) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The flavonoid rutin (quercetin-3-rutinoside), is a flavonol glycoside comprised of the flavonol quercetin and the disaccharide rutinose. In this study, using HPLC-ED system, quantification of rutin was carried out in different extracts of medicinal plants. Analyses of rutin were performed with leaves and flowers of 50 medicinal plants of rue, buckwheat, rose, sage, calendula, chamomile, elder, dandelion, feverfew, lemon balm, linden, thyme, valerian, stinging nettle, cloves, dog rose, pansy, parsley, cowslip, rose etc. Rutin was extracted with hot water. Supernatant was used for analyses. The standard solution was 0.2 μg/20 μL rutin. Content of rutin (mg/g) was highest in the leaves of rue (86.0) followed by flowers of buckwheat (53.5), the leaves from buckwheat (20.0), flowers of pansy (33.5) and flowers of rose (10.0). In all other plants, the content of rutin was lower than 0.5 mg/g. The lowest content rutin (0.25 mg/g) was found in the leaves of lemon balm. The high concentration of rutin in flowers and leaves of rue, buckwheat, pansy and rose provided more importance to rue, buckwheat, pansy and rose as medicinal and diet plants.