Bearberry identification by a multidisciplinary study on commercial raw materials

Nat Prod Res. 2013 Apr;27(8):735-42. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2012.696253. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Abstract

Herbal species different from the official bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, are sold through conventional markets and also through non-controlled Internet websites, putting consumer safety at risk owing to the lack of quality control. Recently, Arctostaphylos pungens has become one of the most used species as a raw material for herbal medicines and dietary supplements in the place of official bearberry, a plant used for the treatment of various urinary disorders. A fingerprint identification based on an integrated application of different analytical techniques (HPTLC, NMR, HPLC-DAD and LC-ESI-MS) is here described to distinguish A. uva-ursi from A. pungens. The HPTLC and HPLC-DAD fingerprints resulted the simplest methods to differentiate the two species, whereas LC-ESI-MS was more useful to quantify arbutin, the main component of bearberry, and to evaluate its different content in the two species. This multidisciplinary study showed for the first time a specific phytochemical fingerprint of the new species A. pungens.

MeSH terms

  • Arctostaphylos / chemistry*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Chromatography, Thin Layer
  • Flavonoids / isolation & purification
  • Herbal Medicine / standards
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Substances

  • Flavonoids