Pharmacognostic Standardization and High-performance Thin-layer Chromatography Fingerprinting of Ficus infectoria Leaves

Abstract

Introduction: Ficus infectoria popularly known as a white fig in India and is used in folk medicine to treat various physiological disorders. The pharmacological significance of this traditional Indian medicinal plant has also been justified in the literature by its rich chemical diversity. Due to its rich biochemical properties, plant material was used unauthentically as the traditional medicinal plant product in Indian market. Despite the fact that these plants are sold in the local market by a traditional medicinal healer, we did not find any authenticated data on its quality. Materials and Methods: In the present study, quality standards of plant leaves were developed by performing morphological, microscopical, physicochemical, phytochemical, and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) studies using CAMAG Linomat 5 instruments. Results: Microscopical studies of leaf and petiole of plant drug showed an arc of centrally located meristele surrounded by lignified parenchymatous tissue. Surface characteristic study of leaf lamina confirms the presence of a paracytic type of stomata. HPTLC data revealed that the primary component in the crude methanolic extract was found at Rf 0.02, 0.12, and 0.52 with the respective peak area of 22.63%, 12.22%, and 13.02%, respectively. Conclusion: This study highlighted essential characters which contribute to the standardization, identification, and authentication of plant drugs.