Quantification of Diosgenin in Extracts and Formulations Containing Solanum Nigrum

A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) was developed and validated to quantitate diosgenin in berries of Solanum nigrum using C18 analytical column as stationary phase and acetonitrile: water (92: 08, v/v) as mobile phase. The flow rate of mobile phase was kept at 1.0 ml/min. Column oven temperature was set at 25 0 C. The method was found to be linear over the range 1.0-60 μg/ml. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the developed method were found to be 0.33μg/ml and 1.0 μg/ml, respectively. The recoveries for the spiked samples ranged 96.85 103.68 %. The RSD values for intraday and interday precision studies of the method were all less than 1.11 %. The proposed method was found to be robust in terms of % w/w of diosgenin. The developed and validated method was applied for quantitative determination of diosgenin in extracts and formulations containing Solanum nigrum. INTRODUCTION: Many plant saponins have been used in traditional system of medicine for the treatment of different ailments including several cancers. Diosgenin is a naturally-occurring steroidal saponin present in Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae). Diosgenin serves as important starting material for the production of corticosteroids, sexual hormones, oral contraceptives as well as other steroidal drugs. 1 It is also used in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, leukemia, hypercholesterolemia, climacteric syndrome and colon cancer. 2 QUICK RESPONSE CODE DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.6(2).676-81 Article can be accessed online on: www.ijpsr.com DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.6(2).676-81 Many HPLC methods have been reported for determination of diosgenin in various species of genus Dioscorea. 3-8 However, no HPLC method is reported for determination of diosgenin in berries of Solanum nigrum. Thus, the present work describes development and validation of a new, simple and sensitive reversed phase HPLC method for determination of diosgenin of Solanum nigrum and standardization of extracts and marketed Ayurvedic formulations containing Solanum nigrum in terms of diosgenin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plant materials, chemicals and reagents Dried berries of Solanum nigrum were procured from three different geographical sources of India namely Valsad district of Gujarat (sample 1), Tirunelvelli district of Tamilnadu (sample 2) and local market of Mumbai, Maharashtra (sample 3) in February 2012. Different herbaria of sample 1,