Investigating the amount of berberine alkaloid extracted from the root of barberry (Berberis vulgaris) native to Iran by HPLC method

Today, traditional and complementary medicine has a special place in the treating of many disorders and diseases. Valuable medicinal plants grow in Iran due to the special climate diversity. The barberry plant (Berberis vulgaris) is one of the most important and prominent plant species and has many therapeutic properties. Berberine, as the most important barberry alkaloid in the root, has a suitable concentration for extraction and utilization and introducing it as a natural substance with pharmacological properties is the aim of this research. The roots of the barberry plant were collected from Tehran city and ground after drying at ambient temperature and away from sunlight. Methanol was used to extract the berberine present in the root of this plant. After filtering, the methanolic extract was used to identify berberine using an HPLC device with a DAD detector. The resulting chromatogram shows the proper separation of barberry root extract and berberine peak peaks compared to the berberine standard, which was clearly separated and identified. The amount of berberine in barberry root was determined according to the calibration curve of 1.44%. Based on the obtained results and a review of the therapeutic and medicinal properties of native Iranian barberry, it is important to determine the amount of the effective substance in the context of its use in the prevention and treatment of various disorders and diseases.