QUANTIFICATION OF PROTODIOSCIN AND PROTOTRIBESTIN IN FRUITS OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS L. COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT PHYTO-GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES OF INDIA.

Fruits ofTribulus terrestrisL. are known for its medicinal and dietary application in the traditional medicine of India and other parts of the World. Protodioscin and Prototribestin are steroidal saponins notably found in theT. terrestris. The aim of the present study is to quantify protodioscin and prototribestin in fruits ofT. terrestriscollected from different phytogeographical zones of India to check the chemotaxonomic variation, if any, through HPTLC using ternary mobile phase of n butanol:glacial acetic acid:water (80:06:20, v/v/v) on precoated silica gel 60 F254aluminum plates. Analytical studies showed considerable variations of Protodioscin and Prototribestin content inT. terrestrisfruits, and it was observed that maximum percentage of Protodioscin (0.317%) found in samples from Western Ghat of India and maximum percentage of Prototribestin (0.636%) found in sample growing in the Arid zone of India. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]