Girija PV*

Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Calicut University, Government Women’s Polytechnic College, Quarters A7, HMT, Ernakulum, Kerala, India

*Corresponding Author: Girija PV, Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Calicut University, Government Women’s Polytechnic College, Quarters A7, HMT, Ernakulum, Kerala, India.

Received: JDecember 26, 2025; Published: January 31, 2026

Abstract

Background: Gulguluthikthakam Kashayam is an ayurvedic medicine primarily used for treating inflammatory conditions. It is particularly effective in managing osteoarthritis, various skin diseases, and is considered an excellent remedy for different types of pain. This formulation/medicine comprises 29 herbs and is a complex mixture containing various secondary metabolites in differing concentrations. The identification and characterization of such components pose a significant challenge to researchers.

Hyphenated analytical techniques, such as HPLC-MS, which combine separation methods with mass spectrometry, are valuable tools for identifying these metabolites in complex mixtures. Among them, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) stands out as a powerful technique for analyzing complex herbal formulations. Since alkaloids play a significant role as anti-inflammatory agents in both modern and traditional medicine—and often serve as lead compounds for new drug development—the present study aims to identify the alkaloids present in Gulguluthikthakam Kashayam using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS).

Method: A 300 mL sample of Gulguluthikthakam Kashayam was centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 30 minutes using a REMI 8C centrifuge. The clear supernatant (~200 mL) was carefully decanted and subsequently subjected to analysis using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS).

Result: Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was employed to identify alkaloids present in Gulguluthikthakam Kashayam. The analysis revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds, including piperine, trans-feruloyl octopamine, vasicinone, coumaperine, tetrahydropiperine, and vasicinolone. The mass fragmentation patterns of these identified compounds are detailed in this paper.

Conclusion: Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF- MS) confirmed the presence of six alkaloids with known anti-inflammatory properties in Gulguluthikthakam Kashayam, supporting its traditional use as an anti-inflammatory formulation.

Keywords: Inflammation; Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Immunostimulant; UPLC-ESI -QTOF-MS

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Citation

Citation: Girija PV. “Alkaloid Profiling of An Ayurvedic Medicine Using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS". Acta Scientific Pharmaceutical Sciences 10.2 (2026): 47-57.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Girija PV. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.