ARS | Publication request: Chromatographic profiles of Ginkgo biloba leaves and selected products

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 8, 2008
Publication Date: July 18, 2008
Citation: Lin, L., Chen, P., Ozcan, M., Harnly, J.M. 2008. Chromatographic profiles of Ginkgo biloba leaves and selected products. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf800488x.

Interpretive Summary: Ginkgo biloba leaves and their extracts are one of the most widely used herbal products in the world. Many of the active compounds have been identified as flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones. This study uses a standardized method based on liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for a comprehensive study of all the phenolic compounds found in Ginkgo balota leaves. More than 20 flavonoids are reported for the first time. The phenolic compound profile generated using our method will be very useful to manufactures and researchers for the identification of raw materials.

Technical Abstract: An LC-DAD-ESI/MS method was developed to obtain chromatographic profiles for the flavonoids and terpene lactones of Ginkgo biloba leaves and selected G. biloba products. The method was used to identify 46 glycosylated flavonols and flavones, 3 free flavonol aglycones, catechin, 10 biflavones, a dihydroxybenzoic acid, and 4 terpene lactones in an aqueous methanol extracts of the leaves. With the exception of the biflavones, the G. biloba leaf products contained the same flavonoids as the raw leaves. This is the first report of the presence of more than 20 of these flavonoids in G. biloba.