Purpose, A previous screening showed that Amyena scandens Danser (Loranthaceae) efficiently inhibited XOD. The aim of this study was to identify the compounds with anti-XOD properties. For this purpose, Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS-MS) coupled with UV and Diode Array LC techniques were employed. Methods, Leaves were delipidized with petroleum ether and extracted with acetone:water 70:30, v:v. The extract was fractionated into the ethyl acetate and water soluble phases. Chemical investigation was performed following the bioactivity guided fractionation. Two fractions with anti-XOD activity were isolated by silica gel column chromatography of the ethyl acetate phase and analyzed by LC-UV-ESI-MS-MS. Results, The compounds identified with authentic standards were: catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside. Other constituents, only partially characterized, were a procyanidin dimer, a procyanidin trimer, three dimers epi/catechine-epi/catechine gallate and isorhamnetin-O-deoxyhexose. The anti-XOD activity was mainly due to galloyl-containing oligomeric proanthocyanidins. Conclusions, The coupling of UV Diode Array-HPLC with ESI-MS-MS represents a versatile tool for the rapid characterization of compounds in complex mixtures, avoiding time-consuming previous isolation.
