Determination of phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and total phenolic content in Andrographis paniculata using chromatographic methods

• Asiatic plant extracts and dietary supplements have been studied.
• LC–MS/MS, HPLC–DAD and GC–MS were used for analysis of purine and indol alkaloids.
• Biologically active diterpenoids were analyzed by using HPLC–PDA and GC–MS methods.
• Antioxidant capacity were analyzed using FRAP, CUPRAC and DPPH methods.
• Chemometrics was performed for statistical analysis of the obtained results.

Antioxidant activity, total phenolics content and selected phytochemicals (alkaloids and andrographolides) were determined in Andrographis paniculata and in dietary supplements containing this plant. Antioxidant activity was measured by FRAP, CUPRAC and DPPH procedures and ranged from 503.36 to 6164.09 μmol TE/100 g d.m. depending on methods, part of plant and kind of dietary supplement. The total phenolics (175.13–1723.79 mg GAE/100 g) and andrographolides content (19.44–85.13 mg/g) in the studied samples were correlated with antioxidant activities determined by CUPRAC, FRAP and DPPH (r > 0.95, p < 0.05 level). Purine alkaloids: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and indole alkaloids: harmine, harmane, harmol, yohimbine, brucine and strychnine were detected in the studied samples by different chromatographic techniques (HPLC–DAD, LC–MS/MS, GC–MS). The total alkaloids content in APs-roots and APs-leaves varies from 50.71 ± 0.36 mg/g d.m. to 78.71 ± 0.48 mg/g d.m., respectively, whereas for dietary supplements (Pn and DK) TAC was found between 19.52 ± 0.15 mg/g and 22.18 ± 0.15 mg/g d.m.. The highest concentration of andrographolides was found in A. paniculata leaves, whereas the lowest in dietary supplement Pn. Moreover principal component analysis, cluster analysis and one-way ANOVA follow by Duncan’s tests were also performed.