Quality Assessment of Raw Materials and Quantitative Determination of Eurycomanone in Eurycoma longifolia Jack from Oudomxay and Bolikhamxay Provinces of Lao PDR

Abstract

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Yik Boh Thong) is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine with strong potential for development as raw materials and herbal products. However, data regarding raw material quality and the active compound content of E. longifolia roots collected from different sources in Lao PDR remain limited, posing a challenge for standardization and quality control.This study aimed to assess the quality of raw materials and determine the eurycomanone content in the roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack collected from Oudomxay and Bolikhamxay Provinces. A total of six samples were examined. Raw material quality was evaluated based on foreign matter, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, loss on drying, water-soluble extractive, and ethanol-soluble extractive values. Eurycomanone content was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD). The results showed that the foreign matter, loss on drying, water-soluble extractive, and ethanol-soluble extractive values of samples from both provinces complied with the requirements of the Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia. However, high total ash and acid-insoluble ash values in some samples from Bolikhamxay Province resulted in mean values exceeding the specified limits. The validated analytical method demonstrated acceptable linearity, accuracy, and precision. The mean eurycomanone contents in samples from Oudomxay and Bolikhamxay provinces were 0.810 ± 0.192 mg/g and 0.991 ± 0.353 mg/g, respectively. Although the samples from Bolikhamxay Province had a higher mean eurycomanone content, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two provinces at the 95% confidence level (p > 0.05). The findings of this study provide baseline data for establishing quality standards and supporting the quality control of E. longifolia root materials in Lao PDR..