Qualitative and quantitative analysis of seven oligosaccharides in Morinda officinalis using double-development HPTLC and scanning densitometry

The quality of Morindaofficinalis, which has been used as a Yang-tonic agent for a long time in China, can be evaluated. A double-development high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method has been established to simultaneously analyze quality and quantity of seven inulin-type oligosaccharides (DP=3-9) in Morindaofficinalis. The chromatography was performed on a silica gel 60 plate with the 7: 5: 2: 1 proportion (v/v) of n-butanol-isopropanol-water-acetic acid for the first and second developments, respectively. The bands were visualized by the reaction with aniline-diphenylamine-phosphoric acid solution and analyzed by densitometric TLC at 540 nm. Quantification of seven oligosaccharides was achieved by densitometry at 540 nm. The investigated standard sugar had good linearity (R2 >0.99) within test ranges. The amounts of seven oligosaccharides were calculated by the relative correction factor (RCF). Therefore, the developed TLC method could be used for quality control of Morindaofficinalis.