Acta Pharm. 56 (2006) 245-250

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoids of the strawberry tree - Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae)

ŽELJAN MALEŠ,^1,* MISKO PLAZIBAT,²  VJERA BILUSIC VUNDAC¹ and IRENA ZUNTAR³

zmales@pharma.hr

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Botany Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
²Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
³Department of Analytical Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

The leaves and fruits of strawberry tree - Arbutus unedo L., collected from two separate geographic locations in Croatia were investigated to determine their flavonoid composition and content. Quercitrin, isoquercitrin, hyperoside and rutin were identified in all leaf samples by means of thin-layer chromatography; the fruits contained only isoquercitrin. Chlorogenic acid was present in some leaf samples. The content of flavonoids depended on the plant organ investigated, date of collection and the locality. Spectrophotometric determination of the flavonoids indicated that the leaves are richer in flavonoids (0.52-2.00%) than in fruits (0.10-0.29%).

Keywords: Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae), flavonoids, TLC, spectrophotometry