Quantitative Determination of Quercetin in Hydroalcoholic extract of Rhus chinensis Mill. using a Validated HPTLC Method

Abstract

Rhus chinensis Mill. is a medicinal plant widely used traditionally due to its rich phytochemical profile, particularly the flavonoids. The objective of our study was to develop a validated simple, precise, and accurate HPTLC method for the quantitative determination of quercetin in Rhus chinensis Mill. For the HPTLC analysis, silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates was used as stationary phase while Toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (5:4:1 v/v/v) was used as the mobile phase and the densitometric scanning was performed at 254 nm. The method was validated as per the guidelines of ICH Q2(R2). Well-resolved bands for quercetin (Rf) were obtained and the method exhibited good linearity (R² > 0.988), precision (%RSD < 2%), and recovery (98-100.2%). The content of quercetin in R. chinensis was found to be 49.63  0.6% w/w. Thus, the developed HPTLC method was validated, reliable and can be used for routine quality control and standardization of R. chinensis.