FURANOCOUMARINS FROM Peucedanum tauricum Bieb. AND THEIR VARIABILITY IN THE AERIAL PARTS OF THE PLANT DURING DEVELOPMENT

SUMMARY A rapid and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method has been used for determination of furanocoumarins in methanolic extracts of Peucedanum tauricum Bieb. HPLC separation was performed on a C18 analytical column (250 mm × 4 mm i.d., 5-µm particles) with a methanol–water gradient as mobile phase. A second chromatographic system with an acetonitrile–water gradient was also developed independently. Diode-array detection was performed between 220 and 400 nm and in quantitative analysis compounds were detected at 320 nm. Calibration plots were linear for 0.01–0.2 mg mL −1 bergapten and peucedanin in methanol (injection volume 10 µL). Before HPLC, samples were purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Oxypeucedanin hydrate (oPh), bergapten (5-MOP), oxypeucedanin (oP), peucedanin (P), 8-methoxypeucedanin (mP), and isoimperatorin (isoIMP) were detected and identified in extracts of P. tauricum. Total amounts of furanocoumarins determined by SPE–HPLC were 8.31 mg g −1 dry wt (0.83%) in flowers, 20.49 mg g −1 dry wt (2.05%) in immature fruits, and 21.30 mg g −1 dry wt (2.13%) in mature fruits. The predominant coumarin compound in the reproductive organs was peucedanin – 5.04 mg g −1 dry wt (0.50%) in flowers, 13.58 mg g −1 dry wt (1.36%) in immature fruits, and 13.51 mg g −1 dry wt (1.35%) in completely mature fruits. The predominant furanocoumarin in the leaves, however, was 8-methoxypeucedanin – from 0.55 mg g −1 to 1.02 mg g −1 dry wt (0.06–0.10%). The furanocoumarin content of the plant extracts correlated with period of development and the part of the plant (generative