HPTLC-A simple
and sensitive method to characterize thirty chemotypes and total alkaloid content
in Ashwagandha (W. Somnifera)
Khatak S. and Kumar R.
Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 20(2); 147-156;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/202rjbt1470156; (2025)
Abstract
Withania somnifera is not just a name of a herb, it is a multipurpose medicine ranging
from a curative agent for cardiovascular disease, cancer, reproductive health care
etc. Dried roots and leaves from 30 genotypes collected from nearby States of Madhya
Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan were extracted using HPTLC for generating chromatograms.
Chromatograms were developed using solvent system consisting of chloroform: methanol
(90:10) for methanolic extracts while a mobile phase consisted of toluene: ethyl
acetate: formic acid (75:18:7) on precoated TLC aluminum plates Si60F254 for all
the thirty genotypes. The HPTLC profile of leaves phytochemicals resulted in grouping
of various genotypes in five clusters and four clusters using roots.
The genotypes collected did not reveal distinct cluster based on their collection
sites, instead were interspersed with each other similar to earlier reports and
our previous investigation using TLC. The present research revealed presence of
different components in different genotypes. Still the steroidal lactones withaferin-A
and withanolide- A reported by earlier researchers were found in maximum genotypes
irrespective of their locations.
