Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds produced as secondary metabolites in plants. Pharmaceutical interests in flavonoids stem from previous research which suggests diets high in flavonoids are associated with multiple health benefits such as decreased susceptibility to heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. A wide variety of polyphenols are produced in Artemisia tridentata, a sagebrush species native to the Great Basin region of the western United States. Previous studies completed within our lab demonstrate that flavonoids extracted from A. tridentata have in vivo antiproliferative activity and in vivo and in vitro antioxidant activity. Our lab has optimized a reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography system for the separation of flavonoids and polyphenols contained within Artemisia tridentata extract. Preliminary identification of six flavonoids contained within A. tridentata has been achieved through the comparison of retention time and UV absorption data to known flavonoid reference standards. The optimized RP-HPLC system was used to collect preliminarily identified peak fractions. The concentrated A. tridentata fractions were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The collected mass spectroscopy data was used to confirm the identification of the previously identified flavonoids. The identification of biologically active flavonoids in A. tridentata is needed for future pharmacological flavonoid application.

Separation and Identification of Flavonoids and Polyphenolic Compounds from Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Diode Array Detection