Quantification of Vitexin and Isovitexin in Seven Varieties of Ficus deltoidea in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae), known as mas cotek in Malaysia is a popular herb of economic importance due to its various medicinal attributes. Seven varieties of F. deltoidea are available in Peninsular Malaysia, var. angustifolia, bilobata, deltoidea, intermedia, kunstleri, motleyana, and trengganuensis. In the Malaysian Herbal Monograph, vitexin and isovitexin are used as chemical markers for F. deltoidea. This paper reports the quantification of the markers in the leaf extracts of the seven varieties using two methods. The NMR box plot method provided approximate quantity, quickly revealing significant amounts of vitexin and isovitexin in var. bilobata. Meanwhile, var. angustifolia was dominated by isovitexin only. Var. trengganuensis and intermedia contained comparable amounts of both markers, albeit in significantly lower quantities. Through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-DAD) analysis, vitexin content was determined to be highest in var. bilobata (27.21 µg/g of dry plant material), whilst isovitexin content was highest in var. angustifolia (12.97 µg/g of dry plant material). As in the NMR box plot approximation method, the UHPLC-DAD analysis also could not detect isovitexin in var. deltoidea and kunstleri. Differences in quantities of vitexin and isovitexin in the crude extracts could serve as a good indicator in distinguishing the varieties.