Comparison of Chemistry and Zebrafish Toxicological Profile of Extract Processed as Per Traditional Method and of its Fraction for Similarity/Dissimilarity – A Case Study of Terminalia chebula Fruit

History of safe use, HoSU preparations are formulations mentioned in ancient literature and are according to the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Due to the advent of new technologies, there is a shift in the manufacturing methodologies of Ayurvedic medicines involving extractions and fractionations. This shift, while has helped manufacturers improve their productivity, raises a question on the equivalence to chemistry, and toxicity when compared to traditional products. As a case study, an attempt is made to establish equivalence between HoSU preparation of Terminalia chebula with commercially available aqueous and alcoholic extracts and one of its fractions. Chemical analysis of the products using principal component analysis, revealed similar chemistry whereas the LC50 values of HoSU preparation were safest followed by commercial preparations and the reference marker compound when tested on zebrafish. The generated data indicated that chemical composition of all 4 samples tested were similar qualitatively, though variations were observed quantitatively. PCA plot indicated that the HoSU extract, commercial alcoholic extract, and commercial water extract were similar whereas water acetone extract was dissimilar. This emphasizes the need for conducting an equivalence study in terms of chemistry and toxicity between HoSU products and commercially available products.