ANALYSIS OF POLYPHENOLIC COMPOSITION AND STABILITY OF MAGISTRAL PREPARATION BASED ON SALVIAE OFFICINALIS FOLIUM

A magistral preparation based on the sage leaf decoction or infusion is one of the most popular herbal prescription prepared in pharmacies in Lower Silesia (Poland) for gargling in the pharyngitis or mouth infections. Other components of this preparation are boric acid, aluminum(III) acetotartrate or Burow's solution, and glycerol. The study aimed to investigate the polyphenolic composition and relations between herbal and chemical ingredients that are present in this mixture in comparison with the traditional aqueous galenic forms – infusion and decoction. The analysis was performed using HPLC-DAD and ESI-MS methods. The main polyphenolic ingredients of sage leaf were rosmarinic acid and luteolin 7-O-β-glucuronide. The content of analyzed polyphenols was higher in the decoction than in the infusion. The pharmacological activity of the examined mixture results from the presence of boric acid, aluminum(III) salts and polyphenolic components of sage leaf. The study showed that in the presence of excess salts of aluminum(III) and boric acid, sage polyphenols are partially soluble in an aqueous medium (mainly phenolic acids) and complexed as precipitated sediment (especially flavonoids). The aqueous solutions of this preparation are cloudy, which suggests limited solubility of the formed complexes. Therefore, the therapeutic activity of the sage leaf magistral preparation should be associated with the presence of water soluble caffeic acid esters like rosmarinic acid. The influence of luteolin glycosides coordination complexes is not evident. The obtained results also confirm the stability of the examined formula in the conditions of cold storage (4-6 °C) within 7 days from its production.