Cytochrome P450 inhibitory potential and RP-HPLC standardization of trikatu--a Rasayana from Indian Ayurveda.

Abstract

Trikatu is a very well known 'Rasayana' in Ayurveda and widely used as a polyherbal ayurvedic formulation in India. It consists of three well known plants, viz., Piper longum (PL), Piper nigrum (PN) and Zingiber officinale (ZO) in equal ratio. Trikatu has been prescribed for cough, cold, fever, asthma, respiratory problems and improvement of digestive disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of individual ingredients of trikatu namely PL, PN, and ZO and formulations [Marketed formulation (MF) and laboratory formulation (LF)] on drug metabolizing enzymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D6), to assess its herb-drug interaction potential through cytochrome P450 inhibition assays. Further this work was aimed to develop an RP-HPLC method for the identification and quantification of piperine and 6-gingerol in the crude drug trikatu.