Carotenoid content of the flower of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.)

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) is a medicinal plant, also listed by the Council of Europe as a natural source of food flavouring (Category N3). Main constituents are volatile oils, sesquiterpene lactones including arbusculin-A and tanacetin, steroids and tannins. Tansy is stated to possess anthelmintic, carminative and antispasmodic properties [1]. In medicinal plants carotenoids may give protection against some life-threatening conditions, for example, cancer and heart disease [2–3]. In this study our research focuses primarily on the separation and indentification of carotenoids in the flower of tansy. The fresh inflorescence flowers were separately extracted with MeOH/Et₂O. The combined extract was saponified in heterogeneous phase (30% KOH/MeOH) and was distributed between MeOH: H₂O (9:1) and hexane. The distribution resulted in hypophasic and epiphasic fraction. The HPLC (column: 250×4,6mm, Merck LiChrospher 100 RP-18 endcapped; solvent system: (A) 12% H₂O/MeOH, (B) MeOH, (C) 50% acetone/MeOH, gradient program; detector: Dionex PDA-100, λ=450 nm) and CC (CaCO₃ adsorbent, eluent: mixture of toluene and hexane) analysis of the hypophasic fraction resulted in the identification of following carotenoids: violaxanthin, lutein-5,6-epoxide, (9Z)-violaxanthin, lutein, (9Z)-lutein-5,6-epoxide, (9Z)+(9'Z)-lutein, (13Z)+(13'Z)-lutein. In the epiphasic fraction lutein, (9Z, 9'Z)-lutein, (9Z)+(9'Z)-lutein, (13Z)+(13'Z)-lutein, α-cryptoxanthin-5,6-epoxide, α-cryptoxanthin, (9Z)+(9'Z)-α-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene-5,6,5',6'-diepoxide, β,β-carotene, (Z)-isomers of β,β-carotene were identified.

Acknowledgements: This study was supported by the grant OTKA K 60121 (Hungarian National Research Foundation).

References: [1] J. Barnes, L. A. Anderson, J. D. Phillipson (2002) Herbal Medicines. Pharmaceutical Press, London, pp. 460–461. [2] G. Britton, S. Liaaen-Jensen, H. Pfander (1995) Carotenoids, Vol. 1A, Isolation and Analysis, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel-Boston-Berlin [3] N. I. Krinsky, E. J. Johnson (2005) Mol. Asp. Med. 26: 459–516.