Densitometric validation and analysis of biomarker β-amyrin in different Acacia species (leaves) grown in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by high performance thin-layer chromatography.

Biomarker β-amyrin was analyzed in the leaves of four different Acacia species (A. salicina, A. loreta, A. hamulosa and A. tortilis) grown in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by a validated HPTLC method. The chromatography was performed on glass-backed silica gel 60 F254 HPTLC plates using solvents toluene: methanol (9:1, v/v) as mobile phase. The developed TLC plate was derivatized with anisaldehyde and scanned at 520 nm. A sharp peak of β-amyrin was found at Rf=0.58±0.01. The r2 and the linear regression equation for β-amyrin was found to be 0.991 and 19.913X+107.803, respectively in the concentration range of 100-800 ng. The percentage of β-amyrin was found to be maximum 2.70% w/w in A. tortilis, 1.85% w/w in A. loreta and 1.80% w/w in A. hamulosa while it was totally absent in A. salicina. This study conceives maiden reporting of quantification of β-amyrin in four different species of Acacia by validated HPTLC method. The developed method for the analysis of β-amyrin was proved to be reproducible by statistical analysis hence it can be employed for further analysis of β-amyrin in plasma, other biological fluids and in finished products available in the market.