Feverfew is a well-known medicinal plant as a source of the sesquiterpene lactones, the main one is a parthenolide (about 85%). Owing to the parthenolide, feverfew herb has anti-inflammatory activity and it is widely used for prevention of migraine. The aim was to study the qualitative composition and quantitative content of the parthenolide in the samples of the feverfew herb cultivated in Ukraine and to study the influence of environmental factors on the accumulation of parthenolide. Methods The identification in the samples of the feverfew herb by the thin-layer chromatography method was carried out on silica gel 60 F254 plates, Merck. For the quantitative determination of the parthenolide, a high-performance liquid chromatography ProStar equipped with a diode-matrix detector, were used. Results The chromatographic profile of the samples of the feverfew herb was studied using a TLC method. In the chromatograms of test solutions from all samples, the blue zones were detected at the level of parthenolide. The quantitative content of parthenolide ranged between 0.16% and 0.39%. The highest content was observed in the sample from the Central region of Ukraine. The data obtained indicate that the optimal conditions for parthenolide accumulation in feverfew herb are as follows: black soils, solar insolation not higher than 5.25 kWh/m2/day, average air temperature from +20°C to +25°C. All the calculated validation parameters of the parthenolide quantitative determination method meet the necessary acceptance criteria. Conclusion The study of the qualitative composition and quantitative content of parthenolide in the samples of feverfew herb cultivated in different regions of Ukraine has been conducted. According to the methodology of Eur.Ph. and SPhU, a parthenolide was identified in all the samples. HPLC method was used to determine the quantitative content of parthenolide in the samples studied. The optimal conditions for parthenolide accumulation in feverfew herb were established.
