Quantitative analysis of arbutin and hydroquinone in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae) leaves by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The phenolic glycoside arbutin and its metabolite with uroantiseptic activity hydroquinone occur naturally in the leaves of various medicinal plants and spices. In this study, an extraction procedure coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed to determine arbutin and hydroquinone content in strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae) leaves. The method showed good linearity (R-2>0.9987) in the tested concentration range (0.5-200 mu g mL(-1)), as well as good precision (RSD<5 %), analytical recovery (96.2-98.0 %), and sensitivity (limit of detection=0.009 and 0.004 mu g mL(-1) for arbutin and hydroquinone, respectively). The results obtained by the validated GC-MS method corresponded well to those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The proposed method was then applied for determining arbutin and hydroquinone content in methanolic leaf extracts. The amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Kolocep (6.82 mg g(-1) dry weight) was found to be higher (t(paired)=43.57, t(c)=2.92) in comparison to the amount of arbutin in the leaves collected on the island of Mali Losinj (2.75 mg g(-1) dry weight). Hydroquinone was not detected in any of the samples. The analytical features of the proposed GC-MS method demonstrated that arbutin and hydroquinone could be determined alternatively by gas chromatography. Due to its wide concentration range, the method could also be suitable for arbutin and hydroquinone analysis in leaves of other plant families (Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, etc.).