Development of a Rapid LC-UV Method for the Investigation of Chemical and Metabolic Stability of Resveratrol Oligomers

Resveratrol, piceatannol, ε-viniferin, r-viniferin, r2-viniferin, and hopeaphenol are naturally occurring polyphenols, associated with potentially beneficial health effects. We developed a rapid liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (LC-UV) method, allowing for the simultaneous determination of these six compounds in biological samples in less than 2.5 min with standard LC equipment. Using this method for the assessment of the stability of the six analytes, we demonstrated that all stilbene polyphenols disappear rapidly in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (e.g., half-life of resveratrol of 1 h). In contrast, the tetramer hopeaphenol was stable over the maximum incubation time of 72 h. In incubations with liver microsomes, ε-viniferin was rapidly glucuronidated, although to a lower extent than resveratrol. Hopeaphenol was not glucuronidated at all. Given that glucuronidation is the major metabolic pathway for polyphenols, hopeaphenol might exhibit significantly different pharmacokinetic properties than other polyphenols. When chemical and metabolic stability as well as biological activity of hopeaphenol are taken together, these findings warrant further investigation of this polyphenol.