HPLC Method for Chemical Fingerprinting of Guggul (Commiphora wightii) – Quantification of E- and Z-Guggulsterones and Detection of Possible Adulterants

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the chemical fingerprinting of Commiphora wightii gum resin (guggul). This method was also used for the quantification of E- and Z-guggulsterones in different C. wightii gum resin samples. The analysis was conducted on a high-performance liquid chromatography system with a reversed-phase column using a gradient elution comprised of water and acetonitrile with 0.1 % acetic acid, and a run time of 50 min at 38 °C. The calibration curve of E- and Z-guggulsterones showed good linearity with a standard correlation coefficient > 0.999, which is within the established range (0.5–250 µg/mL). Twelve marker compounds were selected and successfully analyzed by this method in 22 C. wightii gum resin samples along with 9 gum resin samples of possible adulterant species.