A High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Curcumin I, Curcumin II and Curcumin III in Curcuma longa and Herbal Formulation

Curcuma longa (turmeric) has traditionally been used in Ayurvedic, Unani and herbal drugs to cure numerous ailments. Due to the high demand, the quantitative standardization of herbal products is challenging to maintain their quality. We aim to develop a rapid, sensitive and validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the simultaneous determination and quantification of curcumin I, curcumin II and curcumin III in C. longa and herbal formulation. The three standards were separated using centrifugal preparative thin-layer chromatography (CPTLC) silica gel and identified by different spectroscopic methods. The developed HPTLC method was validated by following ICH guidelines (linearity; limit of detection, LOD; limit of quantitation; accuracy; precision; and robustness). The calibration curves of both the compounds were linear (50–500 ng/spot), with a correlation coefficient (r2) of >999. The developed HPTLC method was effectively applied to the concurrent detection and quantification of curcumins I–III in fresh, dry rhizomes and the herbal formulation of C. longa extracts was obtained by hot and cold extraction methods.