NTP comparative analysis of Ginkgo biloba extracts
Assessing the potential carcinogenicity and toxicity of botanical dietary supplements, such as Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE), in rodent systems is challenging due to the variability in commercially available products. To address this issue, scientists at the NIEHS Divisions of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and Intramural Research used several analytical chemistry and chemometric techniques to compare the composition of GbE used in recent NTP research with other GbE samples on the market, as well as with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) GbE standard reference materials. Their results suggested that a simple analysis for the presence, absence, or amount of compounds unique to GbE would be adequate to determine the authenticity of a GbE sample.
The scientists conducted chemometric analysis of chromatographic and spectrophotometric data to determine that GbE used in rodent experiments was most similar to the NIST reference materials and two unfinished products, as well as finished commercial products containing an authentic GbE extract, based on their constituent profiles. Because the team found its particular GbE was representative of other high quality GbE products, the results of the NTP carcinogenicity and toxicity study could be more broadly applied to other similar GbE products on the market. (NA)
Citation: Collins BJ, Kerns SP, Aillon K, Mueller G, Rider CV, DeRose EF, London RE, Harnly JM, Waidyanatha S. 2020. Comparison of phytochemical composition of Ginkgo biloba extracts using a combination of non-targeted and targeted analytical approaches. Anal Bioanal Chem 412(25):6789–6809.