HPTLC Method for the Determination of Sanguinarine in Argemone and in Argemone-Adulterated Edible Oils

摘要

Sanguinarine, also known as pseudochelerythrin, is a ben-zophenanthridine alkaloid found in extracts of the plant Argemone mexicana, commonly called Mexican poppy, Sanguinaria canadensis (Papavaraceae), and many species of this family [1, 2]. As a contaminant of cooking oil this compound has been implicated in outbreaks of heart disease, glaucoma, cancer, and other illnesses [3, 4] and contamination of mustard oil with toxic sanguinarine as led to a dropsy epidemic resulting in neu-roparalysis and death of people in India [5].Several methods have been used to detect adulteration of edible oils with argemone oil [6-8]. A simple TLC method developed by Shenolikar and co-workers [9], which employs separate spectrophotometry for quantitation of sanguinarine in argemone oil, has been widely used. A method based on HPTLC for quantitative estimation of sanguinarine in edible oils contaminated with argemone oil might be more sensitive than simple TLC, and might also facilitate identification, quantification, and spectral analysis in one step. This communication describes a rapid and reliable HPTLC procedure for detection and quantitation of sanguinarine in edible oils.