Quality evaluation of Radix Stemonae through simultaneous quantification of bioactive alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and evaporative light scattering detectors.
A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-DAD-ELSD) method was developed to simultaneously quantify six major bioactive alkaloids belonging to different structure types in Radix Stemonae, Bai-Bu in Chinese, a traditionally used antitussive and insecticidal medicinal material in China and other countries of Southeast Asia. Diode array detector (DAD) with the wavelengths at 307 and 260 nm was used to monitor the conjugated system of protostemonine (2) and maistemonine (4), respectively, whereas evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) was employed to detect croomine (1), stemoninine (3), neotuberostemonine (5) and tuberostemonine (6), the other four analytes with no or poor chromophores. The assay was validated to be sensitive, precise and accurate, with a detection limit of 3.64-0.04 microg/mL depending on the individual analytes. The overall intra- and inter-day variations were less than 9.3%, and the overall recoveries higher than 91.2%, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were better than 0.996 for all analytes. The newly established method was successfully utilized to determine six major components in the genuine sources of Radix Stemonae: Stemona japonica, S. sessilifolia and S. tuberosa. Significant variations of contents of these components were demonstrated in samples of these three species. This simple, rapid, low-cost and reliable method is suitable for the routine quality control of herbal medicines containing bioactive components with different structure types such as Radix Stemonae.
Li
Song-Lin
SL
Institute of Chinese Medicine, Department of Biology and Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Jiang
Ren-Wang
RW
Hon
Po-Ming
PM
Cheng
Ling
L
Xu
Hong-Xi
HX
Greger
Harald
H
But
Paul Pui-Hay
PP
Shaw
Pang-Chui
PC
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D007783:Lactones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008027:Light; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D015394:Molecular Structure; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013141:Spiro Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D041901:Stemonaceae
D000470:Alkaloids; D000996:Antitussive Agents; D007783:Lactones; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D012997:Solvents; D013141:Spiro Compounds; C468415:neotuberostemonine; C483261:stemonine; C034243:tuberostemonine; C082845:croomine