A validated HPTLC method for the simultaneous quantifications of three phenolic acids and three withanolides from Withania somnifera plants and its herbal products

A simple, rapid and selective high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of three withanolides (withaferin A, withanone and withanolide A) and three phenolic acids (caffeic acid, ferulic acid and benzoic acid) from different parts (root, stem and leaf) of Withania somnifera and its two commercially available polyherbal formulations. The extraction efficiency of withanolides and phenolic acids were tested using two solvents, chloroform and methanol, respectively. HPTLC separation was performed on silica coated aluminium plates Si 60F₂₅₄; using toluene, ethyl acetate and acetic acid (60:40:4). The samples were quantitated at 231 nm. The purity and identity of peaks of all the six analytes were confirmed by matching Rf values and UV-spectrum with authentic standards. The identity of three withanolides was further confirmed by positive ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) analyses. The developed method was validated for sensitivity, linearity, reproducibility, accuracy, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) following the guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). The method was found to be linear (r > 0.99) in the range of 50-2000 ng/band for benzoic acid and 50-1000 ng/band for the other five studied metabolites. This simple and accurate HPTLC method provided enhanced resolution of studied analytes as compared to other phytoconstituents present in W. somnifera extracts. It has also been successfully applied in the analysis and quantification of two polyherbal formulations containing W. somnifera plant parts.

Sensitive quantification of six steroidal lactones in Withania coagulans extract by UHPLC electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A method for the concurrent determination of six known steroidal lactones (syn. withanolides or withasteroids), namely withaferin A, withanolide H, withanolide K, withanolide A, withacoagulin H, and withanolide J in Withania coagulans extracts was developed. Extracts of Withania species and purified withanolides are considered among the most important natural products used for medicinal purposes. Methanolic extract of plant material was subjected to reverse phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with electrospray (JetStream ESI) triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode. Satisfactory separation of withanolide component was achieved within 9 min on UHPLC runtime. The limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) for the six withanolides ranged between 0.040-4.80 ng/mL, and 0.13-16 ng/mL, respectively. Linear responses were attained for all six withanolides in two orders of magnitude with the linear regression coefficient values ⩾0.998. At the five QC levels inspected, the relative standard deviations (RSD) were found below 5% in most cases. The newly developed method is fast, precise, and sensitive, therefore, the method can be used for high-throughput quantification of various withanolides in W. coagulans extract, and other herbal formulations, derived from W. coagulans.