A validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of quercetin and gallic acid in Annona reticulata L.

A sensitive and reliable high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method has been developed to simultaneously estimate quercetin and gallic acid in Annona reticulata L. The methanolic extract of the leaf of A. reticulata L. was performed to detect standard marker compounds like quercetin and gallic acid by the automatic TLC applicator. The plate was developed using toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid (9:10:1.6, V/V) as the mobile phase, and detection was performed by densitometric scanning at 254 nm. The system was found to give well-resolved bands for quercetin (standard) at R-F = 0.71 and gallic acid (standard) at R-F = 0.63 from other constituents present in the leaf extract of A. reticulata L. The spectral analysis of standard gallic acid and sample in the HPTLC study confirmed the presence of gallic acid in the plant extract. The average recovery of quercetin and gallic acid was found close to 99%, suggesting the accurateness of the method. The proposed validated HPTLC method offers a new, sensitive, specific method for the quantification of quercetin and gallic acid in A. reticulata L. The presence of the phytochemicals like quercetin and gallic acid in the leaves of A. reticulata L. supports the view that the leaves could be a potential source of natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic drugs.

Automated summary

A sensitive and reliable HPTLC method has been developed to estimate quercetin and gallic acid in Annona reticulata L. The proposed method offers a new, specific approach for the quantification of these compounds in the plant. The presence of quercetin and gallic acid suggests that the leaves of A. reticulata L. could be a potential source of natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic drugs.