Extraction and identification of formononetin from black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) utilizing gas-chromatography coupled mass-spectroscopy and ultraviolet detection of high performance thin layer chromatography

CHED 1304

Eric D Freeburg, freeer01@luther.edu, Department of Chemistry, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101, Luis Nopo-Olazabal, lnopo@astate.edu, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 639, State University, 72401, Robyn Hannigan, hannigan@astate.edu, Chemistry and Physics, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 419, State University, AR 72467, and Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, fmedinabolivar@astate.edu, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University and Nature West Inc, Nature West Inc, Jonesboro, AR 72401.
The US herbal market has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and has become a multi-billion dollar business. We have targeted black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) for phytochemical identification due to its prevalent usage ranking among the top 10 herbals sold in the United States. Black cohosh is a native American plant grown across Eastern United States. Weak estrogenic effects have been noted and were the stimulant for several phytochemical studies. Black cohosh has been described by previous studies to contain a phytoestrogen, formononetin. However, these experimental conclusions have, thus far, proved impossible to reproduce. We analyzed the phytochemical components of black cohosh roots and rhizomes through means of several extraction methods. Upon analysis of live black cohosh samples, a reasonable match to formononetin was found only in a fresh mature rhizome sample and not in the roots or young rhizome, or in lyophilized samples via HPTLC and GC-MS.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Medicinal
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 25-29, 2007