An Alternative Method of Reversed-Phase HPLC for Identification and Quantitative Determination 0f Ergot Alkaloids

Claviceps purpurea (Fries) Tulasne is a valuable source of many bioactive metabolites (ergot alkaloids) for the pharmaceutical industry. Selection and cultivation of pharmaceutical ergot Claviceps purpurea needs quick qualitative and quantitative analyses for alkaloid identification and chemotaxonomic strain passportisation; however, express methods can be uninformative for some conditions. We used an alternative method of reversed-phase HPLC-UV (based on formic acid elution) for the identification and determination of concentrations for ergot alkaloids in sclerotias from parasitic cultures of 3 strains of pharmaceutical Claviceps purpurea. Two different types of standard solutions of ergocriptine—sum of the α+β isomers and the ergotoxine mixture (ergocornine +α+β ergocriptine with a known ratio)—allowed us to clearly identify each peak in the analysis of standard solutions and sclerotia samples of parasitic ergot. Parameters of retention time and concentrations were determined for ergotamine (25.4 ± 0.11 min, 0.57 ± 0.04 g/100 g respectively), ergometrine (7.67 ± 0.01 min, 0.02 ± 0.004 g/100 g), ergocristine (27.83 ± 0.01 min, 0.62 ± 0.05 g/100 g), ergocornine (25.61 ± 0.11 min, 0.27 ± 0.04 g/100 g), and α- and β-isomers of ergocriptine (α-ergocriptine – 27.19 ± 0.01 min, 0.17 ± 0.01 g/100 g; β-ergocriptine – 27.42 ± 0.01 min, 0.061 ± 0.05 g/100 g). Ergotamine, ergometrine, ergocristine, ergocornine, α- and β-isomers of ergocriptine were identified and quantitatively determined in sclerotias from different strains of pharmaceutical ergot Claviceps purpurea.