Background & Objective: Pluchea wallichiana DC is commonly used in the management of inflammatory
ailments. The primary objective of the study was to identify and quantify its phytoconstituents using
spectroscopy and chromatography methods. Methods: Preparative thin layer chromatography was utilized
to separate gallic acid and lupeol, which were subsequently characterized using infrared, mass, and nuclear
magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques. Additionally, a high-performance thin layer chromatography
method was developed and validated for the quantification of gallic acid, ?-sitosterol, and lupeol utilizing
the Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (8:3:0.5 v/v/v) mobile phase. Result: Lupeol (Rf 0.75) and ?-
sitosterol (Rf 0.63) were successfully separated using thin layer chromatography, followed by scanning at
521 nm after derivatization with anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reagent. Gallic acid (Rf 0.19) was also
separated using the same mobile phase, with subsequent scanning at 254 nm. The selected method was
found linear at range 200–600 ng/spot with the correlation coefficients 0.998, 0.998, and 0.999, for lupeol ?-sitosterol, and gallic acid, respectively. Furthermore, the recovery percentages for the phytomarkers were
determined to be 99.31% for lupeol, 99.00% for ?-sitosterol, and 98.61% for gallic acid. Conclusion: The
isolation and characterization lupeol and gallic acid were the first ever to be reported from this plant. It is
concluded that gallic acid was absent in the leaf, while lupeol, and ?-sitosterol are present in root, stem, and
leaf parts.
Keywords: ?-sitosterol, Gallic acid, High-performance thin layer chromatography, Pluchea
wallichiana, Lupeol
Publication date: 01/10/2025
https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2025/October/MS_IJBPAS_2025_9437.pdf
Download PDF
https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2025/14.10.9437
