Interval Multivariate Curve Resolution in the Dereplication of HPLC–DAD Data from Jatropha gossypifolia

INTRODUCTION: Jatropha gossypifolia has been used quite extensively by traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases in South America and Africa. This medicinal plant has therapeutic potential as a phytomedicine and therefore the establishment of innovative analytical methods to characterise their active components is crucial to the future development of a quality product. OBJECTIVE: To enhance the chromatographic resolution of HPLC-UV-diode-array detector (DAD) experiments applying chemometric tools. METHODS: Crude leave extracts from J. gossypifolia were analysed by HPLC-DAD. A chromatographic band deconvolution method was designed and applied using interval multivariate curve resolution by alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). RESULTS: The MCR-ALS method allowed the deconvolution from up to 117% more bands, compared with the original HPLC-DAD experiments, even in regions where the UV spectra showed high similarity. The method assisted in the dereplication of three C-glycosylflavones isomers: vitexin/isovitexin, orientin/homorientin and schaftoside/isoschaftoside. CONCLUSION: The MCR-ALS method is shown to be a powerful tool to solve problems of chromatographic band overlapping from complex mixtures such as natural crude samples.