Simultaneous HPLC Analysis of Three Flavonoids in the Extracts of Artocarpus heterophyllus Heartwoods

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of three antibacterial flavonoids, artocarpanone, artocarpin, and cycloartocarpin in ethyl acetate extracts from Artocarpus heterophyllus heartwoods. Separation was achieved using a TSK-gel ODS-80Tm column ($5{\mu}m$, $4.6{\times}150mm$) at $25^{\circ}C$ with a gradient elution system of methanol and water as follows: 0-8 min, 60:40; 8-27 min, 80:20; 27-35 min, 60:40, v/v, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and a quantitative UV detection at 285 nm. The method was validated by measuring the key parameters, including specificity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility. A high degree of specificity and sensitivity was achieved. The calibration curves for all three flavonoids showed good linearity with a coefficient of determinations ($R^2$) of ${\geq}0.9995$. The recoveries of the method were from 98-104%, with good reproducibility and repeatability (RSD values of less than 2%) were also achieved. Ethyl acetate was the best solvent for extraction of these three flavonoids using the heat reflux conditions for 1 h. This optimized sample preparation and HPLC method can be practically used for a routine standardization process of the extracts from the A. heterophyllus heartwoods.