Determination of biologically active compounds (costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone) in the leaves of some forms of laurel noble (sweet bay)

Laurel noble (sweet bay) leaves are widely used for food (aromatic seasoning, preservative) and medicinal (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective) purposes. The plant is actively cultivated and has many ecological forms. The main sesquiterpene lactones in laurel leaves are costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone. The content of these substances varies significantly depending on the ecological-geographical, climatic, edaphic and other factors. Several methods have been developed and used to quantify these sesquiterpene lactones in laurel leaves. They differ significantly in the cost of equipment and materials required for research, the duration of the analysis, economic costs, and the accuracy of the results. The article presents the results of studying the content of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone in the leaves of some forms of sweet bay, cultivated on the southern coast of the Crimean Peninsula using capillary electrophoresis methods, reliably confirmed by the results of HPLC analysis of the leaves of the studied forms of sweet bay. Studies have shown that both methods give comparable results. At the same time, the HPLC method is characterized by a higher accuracy of results and a lower determination error, and the method of capillary electrophoresis allows a study to be carried out with lower economic costs using simpler methods. Both methods are pharmacopoeial and are recommended for the standardization of medicinal plant materials.