Fitoterapia 78 (2007) 391 – 395 www.elsevier.com/locate/fitote

A HPTLC densitometric determination of luteolin in Thymus vulgaris and its extracts
A. Bazylko ⁎, H. Strzelecka
Department of Pharmacognosy and Molecular Basis of Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, 1 Banach St., 02-097 Warsaw, Poland Received 22 March 2006; accepted 31 January 2007 Available online 5 May 2007

Abstract Luteolin content in Thymus vulgaris and its extracts have been compared. Luteolin was separated on a thin- layer of silica gel with three-step gradient elution and determined by HPTLC-photodensitometry. The proposed method is simple and sensitive and can be used for the routine assay of luteolin in phytomedicines containing thyme extracts. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: High-performance thin-layer chromatography; Densitometry; Luteolin; Thymus vulgaris

1. Introduction Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) is commonly used in medicine as an antiseptic, bronchial spasmolytic and expectorant agent. The herb is used internally in upper respiratory tract disorders, and externally in skin disorders. The main compounds of herb of thyme are: volatile oil with thymol as a chief component [1,2], phenolic acids, including caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid [3–6] and flavonoids. More than twenty flavonoids were described in this herb [6–9]. The investigations on T. vulgaris in our Department led to TLC-photodensitometic methods of quantitative determination of thymol in T. vulgaris oleum [10] and of rosmarinic acid in extracts. Moreover two methoxylated flavones have been isolated from T. vulgaris liquid extract [11] and used as standards in TLC studies.

⁎ Corresponding author. Fax: +48 225720985. E-mail address: oklyzab@farm.amwaw.edu.pl (A. Bazylko). 0367-326X/$ - see front matter © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2007.01.007

392

A. Bazylko, H. Strzelecka / Fitoterapia 78 (2007) 391–395

Preliminary studies (TLC,