Differentiation of Market Samples of Chennai Nagakesara and Nagakesara by Chromatographic Techniques

Efficacy of any herbal drugs depends on their chemical profile and their biological activity of ingredients. The anticipated efficacy of any drug could be achieved if authenticated ingredients that are collected as per good collection practices in the appropriate season. The general problem faced in herbal drug industry is correct identification of the source plant. The present study was aimed to develop chromatographic finger print profiles by using high performance thin layer chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography of Nagakesara and Chennai Nagakesara/Cirunakappu to record the difference between them. Both samples were procured from Chennai market, extracted successively with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts using Soxhlet apparatus and subjected to high performance thin layer chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography analysis. The thin-layer chromatography of hexane extract of Nagakesara showed more spots than Chennai Nagakesara/Cirunakappu and similarly with chloroform and ethanol extracts also. Maximum number of peaks was observed in all the extracts after derivatization with vanillin sulphuric acid reagent. In the high pressure liquid chromatography results of hexane extract maximum of 22 peaks were separated in Nagakesara whereas in Chennai Nagakesara/ Cirunakappu only 14 peaks were separated; in contrast, in the ethanol extract of Chennai Nagakesara/ Cirunakappu 17 peaks were separated while in Nagakesara it was five peaks only.