Determination of cytotoxic compounds of Thai traditional medicine called Benjakul using HPLC.

Benjakul is a Thai traditional medicine preparation, used for balanced health. From selective interviews of folk doctors in southern Thailand, it was used as the adaptogen drug for cancer patients. In our previous study, the ethanolic extract of Benjakul preparation exhibited high cytotoxic activity against lung cancer cell lines (COR-L23). Piperine has been identified as the main compound in the extract. In addition, plumbagin was found as the most cytotoxic compound. In this study, a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for quality control such as chemical fingerprint, quantification and stability of the ethanolic extract of Benjakul preparation was developed. The reversed-phase HPLC was performed with a gradient mobile phase composed of water and acetronitrile, and peaks were detected at 256 nm. Based on validation results, this analytical method is precise, accurate and stable for quantitative determination of piperine and plumbagin which are cytotoxic compounds isolated from the ethanolic extract of Benjakul preparation. This method could be suitable for analysis of Benjakul extract.