Derivatisation mechanistic-guided identification of phytoconstituents of different extracts of Cissus quadrangularis by TLC and standardization by HPTLC

Cissus quadrangularis is an indigenous medicinal herb which belongs to the family Vitaceae Petroleum ether extract (PECQ), Chloroform extract (ChCQ), Ethanol extract (EtCQ) and Water extract (WCQ) has been done by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Additionally, the usage of derivative reagents and the reaction mechanism between derivative reagents and phytoconstituents were used to confirm the kind of phytoconstituents. The extracts were also evaluated by antioxidant activity that was accessed by the DPPH assay. The extract with the highest antioxidant activity was standardised by HPTLC. Terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, coumarin, steroidal (phytoestrogen) and other phenolic/polyphenolic phytoconstituents were found to be present in extracts of Cissus quadrangularis. EtCQ showed the highest radical scavenging activity with an IC50 of 31.71±0.30 µg/ml which was significantly higher than PECQ, ChCQ and WCQ extract with an IC50 of 84.82±0.35 µg/ml, 79.16±0.35 µg/ml and 215.06±0.25 µg/ml respectively. EtCQ was standardized by HPTLC to quantify the marker constituent. This publication is the first to describe the in-depth analysis of Cissus quadrangularis extracts using thin-layer chromatography, as well as potential detection pathways using different reagents. TLC profiling also justifies the antioxidant behaviour of different extracts.