Hptlc Quantification of N-octacosanol in Tinospora Cordifolia Miers. Stem Obtained from Different Geographical Sources

n-octacosanol is a normolipidemic aliphatic primary alcohol obtained from the plant Tinospora cordifolia Miers. In the present study, the plant stems were collected from five accessions namely Anniyalam, Chennai, Hassan, Vishakhapatnam and Bangalore between June and August. Later a simple HPTLC method has been established for determination of n-octacosanol in methanolic extracts of all these geographical sources using Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (4.5:4.5:1 v/v) as mobile phase. Detection and quantification were performed by densitometric scanning at λ = 555 nm. The results of HPTLC estimation showed variation in n-octacosanol content in all the accessions. The extract from Anniyalam accession showed significantly higher amount of n-octacosanol (6.54%) and that of Vishakhapatnam showed the least (2.28%). Thus the present work is helpful in selecting Tinospora cordifolia yielding highest percentage of n-octacosanol. INTRODUCTION: Tinospora cordifolia Miers. (Menispermaceae) is widely used in the Indian system of medicine to improve immune system and the body resistance against infections . It is reported to possess antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic properties. It is generally prescribed in general debility, diabetes, fever, jaundice, skin diseases, rheumatism, urinary diseases, dyspepsia, gout and leucorrhoea . It also possesses antineoplastic activity . n-octacosanol isolated from Tinospora is useful in improving endurance and increasing oxygen utilization 4. Limited studies suggest that n-octacosanol works to reduce blood cholesterol 5 and helps to treat the patients suffering from coronary heart diseases , Parkinson's disease 7, 8, . The plants collected from different geographical sources have shown similar morphological characters but difference in content of secondary cell constituents because of different environmental conditions. Hence, in the present study, an attempt was made to select an appropriate genotype that produces maximum amount of n-octacosanol. This leads to the production of plants with better market value. Hence, it is very essential to select the correct accession for the particular usage and for further cultivation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plant material: Plant materials were collected from Anniyalam, Chennai, Hassan, Vishakhapatnam and Bangalore between June and August and were taxonomically identified and authenticated by National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), New Delhi. The Voucher specimens (TC-001, TC-002, TC-003, TC-004 and TC005) were deposited in herbarium of Natural Remedies Private Limited, Bangalore for future reference.