Intra-specific Variation of Alkaloid Content in Berberis lycium from the Western Himalaya

ABSTRACT The metabolic variation of berberine and palmatine content in the roots of Berberis lycium was analyzed by HPTLC–UV for the identification of quality raw material (QRM) used in the industry. Ten natural population(s) were mapped, and samples were collected from different parts of Western Himalayas. Pharmacognostical parameters of each collected raw material were evaluated as per Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia of India (API) for quality. The HPTLC chromatogram was developed in n-propanol-water-formic acid (9:1:0.1 v/v/v) and quantified at λmax of 350 nm. Rf of palmatine and berberine was at 0.2 ± 0.08 and 0.33 ± 0.03, respectively, and was linear at a concentration range of 0.1–0.5 µg per spot for both markers. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of palmatine and berberine were 5.25, 5.23 and 15.91, 15.86 ng per spot, respectively. Palmatine and berberine varied from 0.117% to 0.739% and 0.203% to 1.134% on dry weight basis. NB-03 was identified as an elite source based on cluster analysis of metabolic content(s).