Background: A simple but sensitive HPTLC method was developed for the comparative evaluation of psoralen in antioxidant active extracts of leaves
of five different species of genus
Ficus
(
Ficus carica
,
Ficus nitida
,
Ficus ingens
,
Ficus palmata
and
Ficus vasta
).
Materials and Methods: HPTLC studies were carried out using CAMAG HPTLC system on Glass-backed silica gel 60F
254 HPTLC pre-coated plates
using selected mobile phase toluene: methanol (9:1). The antioxidant activity was carried out, using DPPH free radical method.
Results: Among all the five species of genus
Ficus,
F. palmata and
F. carica exhibited comparatively good antioxidant activity in DPPH assay. The
developed HPTLC method was found to give a compact spot for psoralen (R
f = 0.55±0.001) at 305 nm. The regression equation and r
2 for psoralen
was found to be Y= 4.516X+35.894 and 0.998. The quantification result revealed the presence of psoralen in only two species,
F. carica (0.24%, w/w)
and
F. palmata (1.88%, w/w) which supported their supremacy for anti-oxidant potential over other species. The statistical analysis proved that the
developed method was reproducible and selective.
Conclusion: The developed method can be used as an important tool to assure the therapeutic dose of active ingredients in herbal formulations as well
as for standardization and quality control of bulk drugs and in-process formulations. This method can also be employed for the further study of
degradation kinetics and determination of psoralen in plasma and other biological fluids.
