Centrifugally accelerated thin layer chromatography for isolation of marker compounds and bioactives

Medicinal plants containing essential bioactive ingredients are used to cure disease or disorder since time immortal. One of the aims of medicinal plant research is the isolation and identification of markers/ bioactive compounds. Isolation of the markers compounds and bioactive plant constituents has always been a challenging task for the researchers. Separation of these components from the medicinal plants includes the use of combination of chromatographic techniques such as column chromatography, preparative thin layer chromatography, preparative high performance liquid chromatography, droplet counter current chromatography, centrifugal thin layer chromatography, etc. Centrifugal thin layer chromatography which makes use of centrifugal force for separation of multi-component system offers extensive platform for the isolation of phytoconstituents from medicinal plants. This review focuses on basic principle, instrumentation and advantages of centrifugal thin layer chromatography. Additionally, this article also highlights on various applications of this technique for isolation of plant molecules.