title: Fingerprint quality detection of Solanum nigrum using high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Solanum nigrum Linn. (Solanaceae), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used for cancer therapy. It is urgent to develop a novel quality standard to validly detect its quality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To control its quality, a novel, accurate, and valid fingerprint method was developed by high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) in the current case. We could evaluate the quality of different batches and assure the stability of herbs' quality in subsequent research.
  
  
  METHODS
  The HPLC-ELSD fingerprints have been developed through analyzing 41 batches of raw herbs collected from different areas in different harvesting time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have determined the optimum extraction and detection conditions in the process of establishing herb fingerprint. And, we could establish reference fingerprint to control such herb quality. Also, we could determine optimum collecting location and harvesting time according to the fingerprint.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is the first time a new method has been established to control the quality of S. nigrum through HPLC-ELSD. We developed combining similarity evaluation to identify and distinguish raw materials efficiently from different sources. For S. nigrum the most influenced factor on herb quality was the collecting location, and the next was the harvesting time. So, in order to get the consistent raw materials, the collecting location and the harvesting time should be fixed.
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Liye
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guilong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Wenmin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Changhu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008027:Light; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D012015:Reference Standards; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D032324:Solanum nigrum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts