It was known that hawthorn - Crataegus L. is a polymorphic genus. Two hawthorn species and their hybrids are included in the European Pharmacopoeia, twelve – in Ukrainian pharmacopoeia. Determination of chromatographic profiles of hawthorn fruits species native to Ukraine and other countries that are non-pharmacopoeial, but have sufficient plant raw material base, is essential for quality control of drugs.
Aim. To analyze and compare the chromatographic profiles of fruits of 23 Crataegus L. species on phenolic compounds, evaluated by means of high-performance thin-layer chromatography procedure (HPTLC), and determine the specific features of chromatographic fingerprints.
Materials and Methods. A total of 39 samples of fruits of 23 hawthorn species that are native to Europe, Asia and North America, such as Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata/C. oxyacantha, C. leiomonogyna, C. curvisepala, C. pseudokyrtostyla, C. fallacina, C. subrotunda, C. ambigua, C. pentagyna, C. sanguinea, C. chlorosarca, C. almaatensis, C.pseudoheterophylla subsp. turkestanica, C. pinnatifida, C. pentagyna subsp. pseudomelanocarpa, C. punctata, C. pringlei, C. festiva, C. douglasii, C. holmesiana, C. submollis, C. flabellata, C. canadensis were investigated. The analysis has been done following the TLC method from European Pharmacopeia modified into HPTLC, using automated HPTLC herbal system (CAMAG, Switzerland).
The results have shown that chromatographic profiles of phenolic constituents of nine Crataegus L. species of Europe, both pharmacopoeial and non-pharmacopoeial, were quite similar, despite the significant morphological distinctions. The chromatographical profiles of three species of Asia were similar to the pharmacopoeial species; three other species looked different and had specific marker zones. In addition, eight Crataegus L. species of North America had specific markers helping for discriminative analysis from pharmacopoeial species.
Conclusion. The findings could help to identify the possible adulterations and prevent the falsification of finished products. The results will be taken into consideration during revision of the Ukrainian national pharmacopoeial monograph for hawthorn fruits.
