title: High-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometric method for the quantification of harmine, harmaline, vasicine, and vasicinone in Peganum harmala.
abstract: Peganum harmala Linn. seed is a reputed drug of the Indian systems of medicine. We report a simple high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) densitometric method for the quantification of 4 alkaloids, viz., harmine, harmaline, vasicine, and vasicinone from P. harmala seed. The 4 compounds were resolved in ethyl acetate-methanol-ammonia (7 + 1 + 0.3, v/v/v) mobile phase. The method was validated for precision, repeatability, and accuracy. Instrumental precision was 0.27, 1.53, 0.39, and 1.15% [relative standard deviation (RSD)] and repeatability of the method was 1.01, 0.79, 0.13, and 1.62% RSD for harmine, harmaline, vasicine, and vasicinone, respectively. Accuracy of the method was checked by a recovery study conducted at 3 different levels, and the average recovery was 97.88% for harmine, 97.69% for harmaline, 98.38% for vasicine, and 98.28% for vasicinone. The 4 compounds were quantified in P. harmala seed using the method, and it was found to contain 0.44, 0.096, 0.25, and 0.0007% (w/w) of each, respectively. The proposed HPTLC densitometric method for the quantification of the 4 compounds was found to be simple, precise, specific, sensitive, and accurate. It can be used for routine quality control of P. harmala seed and has the ability to quantify the 4 marker compounds in the formulations containing P. harmala. It also can be used to quantify any of these marker compounds in other herbal drugs.
authors.affiliation: B.V. Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development Center, Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry Department, Thaltej-Gandhinagar Highway, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Harsha
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pulpati
authors.forename: Yogesh S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Biradar
authors.forename: Mandapati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajani
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003720:Densitometry; D006246:Harmaline / Q000032:analysis; D006247:Harmine / Q000032:analysis; D032443:Peganum / Q000737:chemistry*; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000032:analysis; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D011799:Quinazolines; D006247:Harmine; C019592:vasicine; D006246:Harmaline; C052548:vasicinone