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A Thin-Layer Chromatography Method for the Determination of Essential Oil Components in Anise and Fennel Fruits

Authors :
E. P. Shefer
N. P. Antonova
I. M. Morgunov
S. S. Prokhvatilova
M. S. Zotova
Source :
Ведомости Научного центра экспертизы средств медицинского применения, Vol 13, Iss 3, Pp 419-425 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
NEICON ISP LLC, 2023.

Abstract

Scientific relevance. The State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, edition XIV, requires the identification of aniseed and fennel fruits by the same thin-layer chromatography (TLC) procedure using Sudan III and menthol. These markers are neither specific nor related to the therapeutic effects of these herbal drug products. The visual interpretation of chromatograms is complicated because of the low intensity of adsorption zones. Moreover, the corresponding compendial monographs do not characterise the adsorption zones specific to each of the plants. The most abundant component in aniseed and fennel essential oils, trans-anethole, would make a better reference standard from a methodological point of view.Aim. This study aimed to optimise the TLC procedure for essential oil determination in herbal drugs and herbal medicinal products of aniseed and fennel fruits and subsequently recommend it for inclusion in the relevant compendial monographs.Materials and methods. The study examined samples from several batches of herbal drugs, including aniseed and common fennel fruits, sourced from Russian manufacturers. The reference standards comprised commercial reagents, including trans-anethole, anise oil, and linalool, as well as fresh essential oils that had been steam distilled from the test samples in a Clevenger apparatus. The study was conducted by TLC. Sample preparation involved using Merck aluminium TLC plates, an IKA KS-501 digital orbital shaker, and a CAMAG Linomat 5 semi-automatic sample application system. The authors heated the plates in either a Binder ED53 drying oven or a CAMAG TLC plate heater. For visualisation, the authors selected a CAMAG TLC VISUALIZER 2 UV imaging and documentation system.Results. The informational and experimental research showed the feasibility of using trans-anethole as an identification reference standard for common anise and fennel fruits. The authors selected the optimal solvent for extracting active substances from the test products (hexane) and a detection reagent for improving visual evaluation of the chromatograms (1% sulfovanillin). The authors established characteristic adsorption zones for differentiating between aniseed and fennel fruits.Conclusions. The optimised procedure identifies the main components in the essential oils of aniseed and fennel fruits with a specific reference standard. This procedure may be recommended for inclusion in draft monographs for the corresponding herbal medicinal products.

Details

Language :
Russian
ISSN :
19912919 and 26191172
Volume :
13
Issue :
3
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Ведомости Научного центра экспертизы средств медицинского применения
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.92872454e0e341d7a5246fd62d33ff16
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.30895/1991-2919-2023-545