Bearberry identification by a multidisciplinary study on commercial raw materials

Abstract

Herbal species different from the official bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, are sold through conventional markets and also through non-controlled Internet websites, putting consumer safety at risk owing to the lack of quality control. Recently, Arctostaphylos pungens has become one of the most used species as a raw material for herbal medicines and dietary supplements in the place of official bearberry, a plant used for the treatment of various urinary disorders. A fingerprint identification based on an integrated application of different analytical techniques (HPTLC, NMR, HPLC-DAD and LC-ESI-MS) is here described to distinguish A. uva-ursi from A. pungens. The HPTLC and HPLC-DAD fingerprints resulted the simplest methods to differentiate the two species, whereas LC-ESI-MS was more useful to quantify arbutin, the main component of bearberry, and to evaluate its different content in the two species. This multidisciplinary study showed for the first time a specific phytochemical fingerprint of the new species A. pungens.

Keywords:

• bearberry
• Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
• Arctostaphylos pungens
• HPTLC fingerprint
• HPLC-DAD fingerprint
• NMR
• LC-ESI-MS

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Federazione Erboristi Italiani for kindly providing the leaves of Arctostaphylos spp.