Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: Furanocoumarins are the coumarin derivatives distributed abundantly in higher plants. They can be grouped into the linear type
and angular type. Imperatorin belongs to linear furanocoumarin class of compounds. It is reported to play a vital role in many
biological activities. Therefore, a high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) densitometric method was developed
and validated for the estimation of imperatorin. Imperatorin was separated on aluminium-backed silica gel 60 F254 plates using
toluene:ethyl acetate (9:1, % v/v) as the mobile phase. This system was found to give a compact band of imperatorin at Rf
value 0.49 ± 0.02. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 35.14 and 105.57 ng/spot, respectively. The
proposed method was employed with a high degree of precision and accuracy for the estimation of imperatorin in Nardostachys
jatamansi DC, Rosa damascena Mill., Apium graveolens Linn., Trachyspermum ammi Linn. and in-house Unani formulation
Safoof-e-Muhazzil, containing these plants as ingredients.

Key words: Furanocoumarins, imperatorin, marmelosin, Safoof-e-Muhazzil, ICH guidelines