Marker to Authenticate <i>Eurycoma Longifolia</i> (Tongkat Ali) Containing Aphrodisiac Herbal Products

Abstract

The benefits of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali, TA) for its aphrodisiac capabilities are well known and many products are marketed worldwide. Due to its popularity, the plant is being abused for promoting fake products. Therefore, there is a need for better testing of the markers required by authorities and responsible manufacturers. A low-molecular-weight protein has been studied for developing it as a testing marker. Two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) (four spots were observed) was used for positive detection of proteins in an aqueous extract of TA root and the pronounced separation of a Coomassie-stained spot, subsequently referred to as Marker A. Consecutive chromatographic separations of the aqueous extract of TA led to the isolation of pure protein from Marker A. When this marker was used to test 46 TA-based products randomly selected from markets worldwide, in 20 of them, the results were found to be comparable to those obtained using the organic eurycomanone marker. The ranking of products from the highest quantity to the lowest observed to be ordered differently if compared for both markers. This is an expected outcome because Marker A was measured for its protein content and eurycomanone for its organic molecule. Marker A detection using 2DE is shown to be a useful tool to test products supplemented with E. longifolia root.

Evaluating the in Vitro Efficacy of Quassinoids from Eurycoma longifolia and Eurycoma harmandiana against Common Cold Human Coronavirus OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 Using In-Cell Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

“…Commercial products containing EL that are readily available in the market include capsules with EL extract and coffee and tea mixtures supplemented with EL. However, the safety of human consumption as a health supplement has been ensured through quality control of marker compounds. , The EL root is one of the ingredients in a list of herbal medicinal products in Thailand, especially the Chantaleela formula, a traditional Thai medicine used to treat fever. EL is safe for consumption and is used as an aphrodisiac and as an antifever medication.…”

A Multifaceted Review of Eurycoma longifolia Nutraceutical Bioactives: Production, Extraction, and Analysis in Drugs and Biofluids

“…Marker A detection via 2DE could be useful to test for the quality of E . longifolia root supplements …”

Glycoprotein Isolated from Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) is Capable of Boosting Testosterone Levels in Leydig cells

“…The extraction was similar to procedures performed previously. 22 Briefly, a total of 200 g of each plant powder was mixed with 2 L of water. The mixture was boiled under reflux for five hours and filtered with coarse filter paper to remove residues before being freeze-dried and then stored for further use.…”

“…26 Other research findings show that EL proteins are in different molecular weight bands, namely, 40 kDa and 10 kDa. 22 In all studies, the molecular weight varied due to unexplained reasons; however, it was generalized to contain similar proteins based on the presence of only a single band observed in SDS-PAGE. The protein fraction was further refined to glycoprotein using Con A-Sepharose 4B (GE Life Sciences, US) as a stationary phase, whereas 50% methyl-α-D-mannopyranoside solution was used as a mobile phase in the lectin affinity column.…”