Endurance of phytocompounds in classical preparation from the root of Rauvolfia serpentina: pharmaceutical dosage validation by HPTLC, HPLC–UV, and LC–MS/MS

Abstract The phytocompounds found in medicinal plants attribute therapeutic values to the plants. However, when medicinal plants undergo different processes, such as crushing, grinding, boiling, and heating, the fate of phytocompounds is unclear. During these processes, phytocompounds may degrade, decompose, or even undergo molecular rearrangement, which results in a decrease or complete loss of therapeutic activity. As a result, the efficacy of a particular dosage may not be attained due to the change in the quantity of phytocompounds present in the final product or formulation. The present study aimed to determine the phytochemical changes that occur during the traditional process of preparation of Ghana from Rauvolfia serpentina roots. Ghana is a solidified preparation by decoction with water. Reserpine being the major bioactive marker in the R. serpentina , it was quantified by utilizing densitometric high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the qualitative presence of other secondary metabolites was studied by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The results showed that the percentage of reserpine quantified by HPTLC method (0.1742% and 0.1569% for roots and ghana , respectively) and HPLC method (0.1731% and 0.1578% for root and ghana , respectively) were almost same, and there were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of reserpine in the root and ghana . The LC–MS/MS study revealed that there were only a very few minor changes in the phytochemical array. The results indicate that the traditional method of preparation can preserve the quantity of reserpine at a prescribed dosage of 0.5 mg/day and can retain other secondary metabolites. Therefore, it may be concluded that the therapeutic efficacies of ghana caused by reserpine and other secondary metabolites are preserved.