A Review on Determination of Atropine and Scopolamine by RP-HPLC

Abstract

A reverse phase high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a UV-PDA detector was used for the analysis of the main tropane alkaloids, which were found in the roots, aerial parts and seeds of the Pojark plants. Scopolamine was the main alkaloid of the two populations. The populations from Ashtian mountain and Zangane village had the highest and lowest tropane alkaloids content. The alkaloid content of seeds was higher than other parts. The linearity of the method was between 4 and 400 g/ml for atropine and between 0. 8 and 80 g/ml for scopolamine. Limit of detection was 5. 15 and 17. 4 g/ml, and limit of quantification was 1. 92 and 6. 4 g/ml.

Introduction

This study investigates the distribution and concentration of tropane alkaloids, specifically atropine and scopolamine, in different parts (roots, aerial parts, and seeds) of Hyoscyamus arachnoideus, a plant species found in parts of Iran and Iraq.

Key Points:

• Tropane Alkaloids Background:

  • Tropane alkaloids (e.g., atropine and scopolamine) are natural compounds with significant medicinal properties, commonly found in Solanaceae and related families.

  • They are expensive to synthesize industrially, hence the search for new plant sources continues.

• Objective:

  • To identify and quantify main tropane alkaloids in various plant organs across different geographical locations.

• Methodology:

  • Plants were collected from five locations in Iran.

  • Alkaloids were extracted using chloroform-methanol-ammonium hydroxide and analyzed via HPLC.

  • Calibration and validation followed ICH guidelines.

• Results:

  • Atropine was the dominant alkaloid in most plant parts, especially roots.

  • Scopolamine was primarily found in seeds of two populations.

  • The Zangane population had the highest alkaloid content; Ashtian Mountain had the lowest.

  • The atropine to scopolamine ratio was highest in roots and decreased in aerial parts and seeds.

  • Observed variability in alkaloid content was likely due to genetic and environmental factors.

• Conclusion:

  • H. arachnoideus shows significant potential as a natural source of atropine and scopolamine.

  • The study confirms differential alkaloid accumulation across plant parts and geographical variation in alkaloid production.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Ms. Rajshree N Kedar, Ms. Priya S Admane, Dr. Nitin M Gawai, Rushali S Bedjawalge. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.