HPTLC screening of phenolic compounds and saponins in Polemonium caeruleum L. raw material

Introduction. Polemonium caeruleum L. is a promising medicinal plant with multivector therapeutic effect. However, the limited data on its phytochemical composition makes it difficult to develop modern medicines based on it. The need for a detailed study of chemical composition and optimization of standardization methods is due to the growing interest in the use of bluegill for the treatment of diseases of the nervous system and the demand of the socium for neurotropic phytodrugs.

Aim. Conducting HPTLC analysis for phytochemical screening of blue cornelian fern extracts.

Materials and methods. This study utilized samples of rhizomes and roots of Polemonium caeruleum, collected in the Leningrad region. Standard samples of flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and β-aescin were used for phytochemical analysis. Purified (preliminary defatting with chloroform in a Soxhlet apparatus) and crude extracts were obtained from the raw material by extraction with 80 % ethanol using an ultrasonic bath. HPTLC analysis was performed on Silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates in the following solvent systems: toluene – ethyl acetate – formic acid – water (for phenolic compounds) and n-butanol – acetic acid – water (for saponins). Detection was performed under UV light and using detection reagents.

Results and discussion. On the basis of a HPTLC-analysis carried out in roots with bluegill roots, chlorogenic acid has been identified. It has been established that the procedure of degreasing the raw material leads to a decrease in the content of phenolic compounds, and acid hydrolysis significantly changes their chromatographic profile. For the detection of saponins, the ineffectiveness of the method regulated by the GF of the Russian Federation is shown, and a solution of 50 % sulfuric acid was proposed as the detecting agent, which allowed to uniquely identify β-aescin (Rf = 0.32). The chromatographic analysis revealed a complex multicomponent composition of extractions, including several groups of BASs.

Conclusion. In view of the growing need for effective and safe phyto-drugs with a neurotropic and expectorant action, as well as insufficient knowledge of the chemical composition of bluegill, its complex phytochemical screening was carried out. By HPTLC method in the underground organs of the plant was identified chlorogenic acid, and also confirmed the presence of a marker saponine – β-aescin, for the detection of which the selection of the detecting agent is optimized. The data obtained fill a lack of modern scientific knowledge about this type of raw material and form the basis for the development of standardized LDC based on it.

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