Journal of Ethnopharmacology 163, 192-202 (2015). TLC of the aqueous extract (crude vs. after tannin removal on a polyamide column) of the kino (red hydrosoluble exudate) of Pterocarpus erinaceus on silica gel with s-butanol – water – acetic acid 14:5:5. Detection with vanillin-hydrochloric acid reagent revealed catechic tannins and related polyphenols as dark pink zones. These compounds showed hRfs between 0 and 40, and above 60 in the case of the crude extract, whereas they almost did not appear in the tannin-free fraction. The extracts were also submitted to HPLC-HRMS, allowing the identification of epicatechin monomer in both extracts and of oligomers in the crude extract only.

J. AOAC Int. 98, 850-856 (2015). Review of the development of planar chromatography-direct bioautography methodology, with special emphasis on its use as a biomonitoring system. HPTLC of cis-spiroether (1), trans-spiroether (2), alpha-bisabolol (3), bisabolol oxides (4) and the fluorescent coumarin derivatives herniarin (5), and umbelliferone (6) in chamomile extracts on silica gel with chloroform - acetone 99:1. Detection by dipping into vanillin–sulfuric acid reagent (40 mg vanillin, 10 mL ethanol and 200 mL concentrated sulfuric acid) followed by heating at 110 °C for 5 min. Bioassays were performed by the direct bioautographic system using a Gram-negative test bacteria (Xanthomanas euvesicatoria), the luminescence gene-tagged Arabidopsis pathogen (Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola) and the luminescent marine bacterium (Aliivibrio fischeri) as well as a Gram-positive soil bacterium (Bacillus subtilis).

J. Planar Chromatogr. 28, 458-465 (2015). TLC of protodioscin in Trigonella foenum-graecum on silica gel with chloroform – methanol – glacial acetic acid 13:6:1. Detection by dipping into a solution of p-dimethyl aminobenzaldehyde in methanolic hydrochloric acid for 2 s, followed by heating at 110 °C for 3 min. Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 515 nm. The hRF value for protodioscin was 31. Linearity was in the range of 400-1400 ng/zone. LOD and LOQ were 100 and 400 ng/zone. The intermediate precision was below 5.1 % (n=3). Average recovery was 101 %.

J. Ethnopharmacol. 190, 116-141 (2016). This review discusses the progress in chemical analysis of Angelica sinensis and its preparations. The study describes TLC as a rapid separation method and qualitative analysis technology that is commonly used for routine chemical analysis of A. sinensis. The advantages of the technique as well as TLC systems using ferulic acid and ligustilide as markers were described.

Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 26, 161-167 (2016). HPTLC of barbaloin in Aloe vera on silica gel with ethyl acetate – methanol – water 200:33:27. Detection by spraying with 100 mL of 10 % alcoholic potassium hydroxide solution. Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 366 nm. The hRF value of barbaloin was 40. Linearity was in the range of 300-1500 ng/zone. Intermediate precisions were below 2 %. The LOD and LOQ were 50 ng/zone and 150 ng/zone. Average recovery was 98.9 %.

Chinese J. of Med. Guide 12 (10), 8-10 (2014). Huayu Tongluo Jianpan Tie plaster is coated with a herbal TCM preparation for the treatment of pain and numbness in the neck, waist, upper limbs and legs caused by the protrusion of cervical and lumbar intervertebral discs. For quality control, TLC on silica gel (1) for Boswellia carterii Birdw./Boswellia bhaurdajiana Birdw. Resin, with petroleum ether (60-90 °C) – ethyl acetate 5:1, detection by spraying with 5 % vanillin in sulfuric acid – ethanol 1:4 and heating at 100 °C until the zones are visible in daylight; (2) for Commiphora myrrha Engl./Commiphora molmol Engl. resin, with chloroform – ethyl acetate 80:1, detection as before; (3) for Daemonorops draco Bl., with chloroform – methanol 19:1, detection in daylight. Quantification of dracorhodin by HPLC.

J. Chromatogr. Sci. 54 (1), 64-69 (2016). Micro-TLC of 11 species of the Mentha genus and two finished pharmaceutical products in two-dimensional mode in normal (NP) and reversed-phase (RP) systems on cyano phase with non-aqueous eluents for NP-TLC and with mixtures of acetonitrile with water or methanol with water for RP-TLC. Optimization of one-dimensional systems was performed by determining RM values vs. composition of mobile phase dependencies for standards occurring in various Mentha sp. On the basis of these dependencies the most selective chromatographic systems for each run were chosen. Then most selective eluents were applied to optimize two-dimensional systems by creating Rf in NP systems vs. Rf in RP systems correlations. The best two-dimensional systems were chosen on the basis of R(2) values for Rf vs. Rf correlations (the lowest values of R(2) coefficients). Two-dimensional micro-TLC was used to separate phenolic compounds of the examined plant materials.

Planta Medica 82 (15), 1368-1373 (2016). The incubation mixture of dihydroergotamine with rat liver microsomes was dissolved in methanol – chloroform – ethyl acetate 1:1:1. Preparative TLC on silica gel with methanol – chloroform 1:9. Two zones (hRF 21 and 35) corresponding to produced metabolites were scratched off the plate, separated from the silica with methanol – ethyl acetate 1:1 and, after purification on cyclodextrin, identified through LC-MS-MS and proton-NMR as 5-hydroxyl-dihydroergotamine and 11-hydroxyl-dihydroergotamine, respectively.