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HPTLC QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DETECTION OF STEROLS IN SPECIES OF THE PORTULACA GENUS FROM ROMANIA

ADRIANA IULIANA ANGHEL¹, MIHAELA ILIE², OCTAVIAN TUDOREL OLARU^1*, MIHAELA DINU¹, ROBERT VIOREL ANCUCEANU¹, VIORICA ISTUDOR³

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Sterols are secondary metabolites of plants, known for their inhibitory effects on stomach, lung, breast and ovarian cancer. The intake of phytosterols can enhance the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thus reducing the oxidative stress. The species of the Portulaca genus from Romania have not been analysed until now for their sterols content. We hereby report on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sterols from Portulaca oleracea L. and Portulaca grandiflora Hook. in view of their potential therapeutical use. Alcoholic extracts were obtained from herbal parts of Portulaca grandiflora and Portulaca oleracea, and the HPTLC analysis was applied to these extracts, using silica gel 60 F254 plates and chloroform – acetone (80:20) as mobile phase; the densitometric analysis was performed at 206 nm. The sterol amount contained in each sample was calculated and expressed as β-sitosterol, which was used as external standard. Based on the comparison of Rf values and of the spectra of the spots with those of the standard, β-sitosterol was identified in both samples. The HPTLC quantitative analysis of the methanolic extracts showed as much as 79.9 mg β-sitosterol per 100 g of herbal product from Portulaca grandiflora and 73.1 mg per 100 g of herbal product from Portulaca oleracea (on a dry basis).