Planta Med 2014; 80 - P2B18
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394895

Identification of chemotypesin Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC)

T Schinle 1, I Merfort 1, D Frommenwiler 2, E Reich 2
  • 1Albert-Ludwigs-University, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology and Buiotechnology, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
  • 2CAMAG Laboratory, Sonnenmattstrasse 11, Muttenz, Switzerland

Two different cultivated forms of holy basil are known. One variety is called “green” or “Rama Tulsi” and the other “black” or “Krishna Tulsi”. The denomination black or green is due to the color of the leaves [1]. In order to distinguish both varieties, multiple samples from each group were analyzed with a HPTLC method for flavonoids (mobile phase: ethyl acetate, formic acid and water 15:1:1 v/v/v) and derivatized with Natural Products reagent. For both varieties (green and black) more than one fingerprint pattern was obtained. Arranging the samples according to the similarity of their fingerprints they fall into two groups: the upper part of the chromatogram “Type 1” shows a cluster of greenish and bluish zones which is absent in the “Type 2”. In former studies, GC analyses of holy basil established two chemotypes based on the composition of the essential oils: the eugenol-rich type, and the methyleugenol-rich type [2, 3]. To find out any correlation between type 1 and 2 (flavonoids) and the two essential oil types all samples were re-examined with a new HPTLC method aiming at the separation of eugenol and methyleugenol. In this test samples belonging to type 1 exhibit a zone due to methyleugenol, while samples belonging to type 2 group contain a zone due to eugenol. Based on those observations, the samples were classified in two chemotypes: “type 1”=“Methyleugenol type” and “type 2”=“Eugenol type”.

Keywords: Ocimum sanctum, HTPLC

References:

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[2] Grover GS, Rao JT. Investigations on the antimicrobial efficiency of essential oils from Ocimum sanctum and Ocimumgratissimum. PerfumKosmet. 1977; 58: 236.

[3] Kotharsi SK, Bhattacharya AK, Ramesh S. Essential oil yield and quality of methyl eugenol rich Ocimumtenuiflorum L. f. (syn. O. sanctum L.) grown in south India as influenced by method of harvest. Journal of Chromatography A, 2004; 1054: 67 – 72.