Isolation and High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Bioactive Lupenone: A Lupane Triterpenoid from Diospyros melanoxylon

Lupenone was isolated for the first time from the stem bark of Diospyros melanoxylon and characterized with the help of physical and spectroscopic data. A high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method has been developed and validated for the quantification of lupenone in D. melanoxylon stem bark. HPTLC analysis was performed on HPTLC plates by using a binary mobile phase of n-hexane—ethyl acetate (8.2:1.8, v/v). It was quantified at 395 nm after derivatization with methanol—sulfuric acid reagent. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be 40 ng and 100 ng per spot, respectively. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plot in the range of 100–500 ng spot−1 showed a good linear relationship between peak area and concentration (r2 = 0.9997). The instrumental precision was 1.01% (coefficient of variation [CV]) and the repeatability of the method was 2.17% (CV). The method was validated for precision, recovery, and repeatability as per the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The developed HPTLC method is very accurate and precise and has been successfully used for the estimation of lupenone in D. melanoxylon stem bark.