Quantitative analysis of sesquiterpene lactone cnicin in seven Centaurea species wild-growing in Serbia and Montenegro using 1H-NMR spectroscopy

1H-NMR spectroscopy was applied for the quantitative analysis of cnicin, a bioactive germacranolide type sesquiterpene lactone, in the aerial parts of seven wild-growing Centaurea species collected in Serbia and Montenegro. The analysis was performed by comparison of the integral of the one-proton signal of cnicin (H-13, ? 5.75) with that of the two-proton singlet ( ? 6.98) of 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol (BHT), used as the internal standard. Cnicin, within the concentration range 1.06-6.12 mg/g, calculated per weight of the fresh plant material was detected in six species, the exception being C. salonitana. This method allows the rapid and simple quantification of cnicin without any pre-purification step. 1H-NMR spektrometrija je primenjena za kvantitativnu analizu knicina, bioaktivnog seskviterpenskog laktona germakranolidnog tipa, u nadzemnom delu sedam samoniklih biljnih vrsta roda Centaurea sakupljenih u Srbiji i Crnoj Gori. Analiza je izvrsena poredjenjem integrala signala jednog protona knicina (H-13, ? 5.75) sa singletom koji potice od dva protona ( ? 6.98) internog standarda, 2,6-bis(1,1-dimetiletil)-4-metilfenola (BHT). Knicin je detektovan u svim vrstama, osim u C. salonitana, u koncentracijama u opsegu od 1,06 do 6,12 mg/g, racunato na masu svezeg biljnog materijala. Ovaj metod omogucava brzu i jednostavnu kvantifikaciju knicina bez prethodnog preciscavanja.