Metabolite Profiling of Didymocarpous pedicellata Oil using GC/MS

Didymocarpous pedicellata R. Br. (Family: Gesneriaceae), is a much discussed and exhaustively used drug of Unani and Ayurvedic systems of medicine as a principal component of several traditional formulations for urolithiasis and is the only non-invasive remedy for urinary stones [1, 2]. Didymocarpous pedicellata leaf oil has antimicrobial activity due to its active principal didymocarpene [3]. The samples were analyzed on Agilent 7890A GC system coupled with 5975C inert XL EI/CI MSD mass spectroscopic system equipped with a 30 m x 250 µm x 0.25 µm HP-5MS capillary column, and CTC CombiPAL injector operated in split mode (50: 1) and the injection volume was 2.0µL. The inlet temperature was kept at 270 °C with helium flow rate at 1.0 mL min^-1. The oven temperature was initially 80 °C for 2 min then increased to 300 °C with total run time of 36 min at SCAN mode. Characterization of the individual components present was performed with the use of a mass spectrometry (MS) library-Wiley/NIST. Overall, 26 components were identified from oil of leaf, among which humulene, beta-selinene, 1 H-cyclopropa [A] naphthalene, (±)-Isoseychellene, aromadendrene and selina-3,7(11)-dien were found most abundant, respectively. The GC/MS metabolite profiling provides a platform for the quality control analysis of single and multi component herbal formulations. The described procedure for GC/MS analysis of D. pedicellata oil allows reliable detection of the majority of volatile compounds that are present in it. The procedure could be applied as a routine step for quality control of D. pedicellata in its crude forms and its formulations. Acknowledgment: Thanks go to the Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine, Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India. References: [1] Anonymous, (2006). The Wealth of India Sec Supp III, 58. [2] Anonymous, (1986). Qarabadeen Majeedi All India Unani Tibbi Conference Delhi. 9^th Edition. [3] Singh AP, (2007). Ethnobotanical Leaflets, 11: 73 – 75.