Promoting the use of HPTLC in plant analysis and other analytical fields is the main purpose of the International Association for the Advancement of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC Association), and for this, bringing together representatives from academia, industry, research, regulatory and standard setting bodies. This HPTLC Online User Meeting was the first in a series of quarterly events that shall facilitate a worldwide exchange of knowledge between HPTLC users to share in the spirit of working in an exciting analytical field. This meeting was hosted in partnership with the North America Chapter of the HPTLC Association.
Presentation 1: Testing raw materials for quality and purity with HPTLC
Brittany Brodziski, QC Supervisor, Nature's Way
The European elder (Sambucus nigra) berry has a long-standing use in herbal medicine. With COVID-19 on the rise in 2020, the demand for a natural boost to the immune system brought elderberry to the forefront of dietary supplements and herbal medicines. This increasing demand also saw an increase in adulteration. In this session, Brittany Brodziski, QC Supervisor at Nature’s Way, describes how her team used an orthogonal approach to confirm the quality of the sourced ingredients and for testing raw materials by HPTLC, HPLC, and UV-Vis. Brodziski further discusses how competitor products were also tested, with a significant number showing low quality or adulteration.
Presentation 2: HPTLC separation and detection of common hallucinogenic tryptamines
Kelsey Patterson, Graduate student in forensic science, Cedar Crest College
TLC has often been used for the analysis of common hallucinogenic tryptamines. However, TLC does not always provide a satisfactory level of sensitivity, resolution, or documentation. In this session, Kelsey Patterson, graduate student at Cedar Crest College, discusses her project evaluating the suitability of HPTLC to determine an optimal separation of 12 hallucinogenic tryptamines. Patterson discusses how several different mobile phases were investigated and explain how two of the mobile phases tested, when used in conjunction with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde derivatization, were able to separate and distinguish all 12 tryptamine compounds.
Presentation 3: HPTLC and MS screening of active compounds in traditional medicine
Dr. Sidney Sudberg, President & CSO, Alkemist Labs
HPTLC/MS analysis and screening of active compounds in Ayahuasca traditional medicine has been carried out with the intention of optimizing its therapeutic variability. In the final session of this event, Dr. Sidney Sudberg, President & CSO at Alkemist Labs, discusses how the relative concentrations of known active compounds were determined by image evaluation, scanning densitometry, and HPLC, and explores how mass spectrometry was used for accurate substance identification. Additionally, Sudberg demonstrates how the alkaloid fraction was utilized for determination of identity and for determination of lot-to-lot consistency of raw materials.