HPLC Method for Estimation of (-)-Epicatechin in Pterocarpus Marsupium Herbal Extracts and Pharmaceutical Dosage Formulations

A reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic separation and quantitative method using an aqueous acetic acid (mixture of acetonitrile and aqueous acetic acid) was developed to analyze procyanidin compound in extracts from the bark of Pterocarpus marsupium and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The concentrations of (-)-epicatechin in aqueous, 50% methanolic and methanolic extract of Pterocarpus marsupium are 13.14%, 17.46% and 9.15% (w/w), respectively. The method was validated with respect to recovery, precision and linearity. The recovery for (-)-epicatechin was 99.97%. The correlation coefficient of calibration curve was 0.9795. The LOD and LOQ were 4.24 μg mL^-1 and 14.12 μg mL^-1, respectively. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the method is reproducible and selective for estimation of (-)-epicatechin. This chromatographic method is simple, sensitive and reproducible, ideally suited for rapid, routine analysis.