A fast isolation method for glycyrrhizic acid, the bioactive marker of Glycyrrhiza glabra, and its quantitative evaluation in some single and multiherbal formulations using high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Abstract

Glycyrrhizic acid, the major metabolite of Glycyrrhiza glabra, is a ‘Hot Molecule’ in view of its sweet tasting properties and potent anti-viral and anti-allergic activities. A fast chromatographic method for its isolation and a rapid, sensitive reproducible high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for its quantification have been developed. Glycyrrhizic acid was isolated in 6.9% yield from the 50% aqueous ethanolic extract of G. glabra roots by employing CombiFlash chromatography. For its quantitative studies, HPTLC silica gel F254 pre-coated plates were used with n-butanol-acetic acid-water (7:2:1) as the mobile phase. The method was validated for limit of detection, limit of quantification, linearity, specificity, precession, and recovery. The results indicate that the glycyrrhizic acid was present in G. glabra roots (0.88%) and in Yastimadhu Churna (0.78%). Surprisingly, the marker compound could not be detected in Artin capsule, which contains more than 10 herbal ingredients including G. glabra. The absence of marker compound in this formulation might be due to its loss during the manufacturing process or different plant parts used in this formulation. The developed methods can be used successfully for fast isolation of glycyrrhizic acid and for the quality control and quality assurance of G. glabra formulations, where the root part is used.