Detection of terpenoids and steroids in Lindsaea obtusa with thin layer chromatography

Abstract. Wutsqa YU, Suratman, Sari SA. 2021. Detection of terpenoids and steroids in Lindsaea obtusa with thin layer chromatography. Biofarmasi J Nat Prod Biochem 19: 65-69. The diversity of ferns on this earth is very high, and the potential and benefits for human life are ornamental plants, food materials, and medicines. The benefits of not all ferns are known because of the lack of information on these ferns, one of the ferns is Lindsaea obtusa J. Sm. Ex Hook. The phytochemical test is the first step in research, searching for new active compounds derived from natural ingredients. This study was conducted to determine the differences of terpenoid and steroid compounds profile in L. obtusa extract using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Extraction of L. obtusa using maceration techniques with methanol and n-hexane solvents. The extraction results will be used for phytochemical screening using the TLC technique with GF254 silica gel plate as a stationary phase, and a mobile phase is chloroform: n-hexane (9: 1 v/v), n-hexane: ethyl acetate (4: 1 v/v), and methanol: ethyl acetate (5: 1 v/v). Detection of terpenoid and steroids using Lieberman Burchard reagent. The result shows that L. obtusa extract contains terpenoid and steroid compounds. Quantitatively, the secondary metabolites of L. obtusa extract were soluble in methanol solvent more than the soluble compounds in n-hexane solvent. However, qualitatively, steroid compounds that dissolve in n-hexane solvents have a more varied Rf value than terpenoids, especially in the mobile phase of chloroform: n-hexane (9: 1 v/v) and n-hexane: ethyl acetate (4: 1 v/v). L. obtusa contains more various steroid compounds than terpenoid compounds.