title: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis on compounds in volatile oils extracted from yuan zhi (radix polygalae) and shi chang pu (acorus tatarinowii) by supercritical CO2.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the constituents of volatile oils extracted from Yuan Zhi (Radix Polygalae), Shi Chang Pu (Acorus Tatarinowii), and a mixture of the two herbs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The volatile oils were extracted using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO2, and the constituents of the volatile oil extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The relative content of each component was calculated using peak area normalization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The optimized SFE conditions were 45 MPa at 35 degrees C for 2 h. Twenty-four compounds were identified in the extract from the Yuan Zhi (Radix Polygalae) and Shi Chang Pu (Acorus Tatarinowii) mixture, and six of these had relative contents >1. These compounds were 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-benzene; 1,2,3-trimethoxy-5-(2-propenyl)-benzene; beta-asarone; (Z,Z) 9,12-octadecadienoic acid; (Z) 6-octadecenoic acid; and ethyl oleate. Combination of the herbs increased the number of pharmacologically active substances in the extract and decreased the number of compounds with one benzene ring compared with the extracts from the individual herbs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate there is a synergistic relationship among the compounds in these herbs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chinese Pharmacology, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Shanxi, Taiyuan 030024, China.
authors.forename: Yingli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xianbin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Yaming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D029023:Acorus / Q000737:chemistry*; D025924:Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D031801:Polygala / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts