Simultaneous determination of 19 flavonoids in commercial trollflowers by using high-performance liquid chromatography and classification of samples by hierarchical clustering analysis.
The flowers of Trollius species, named Jin Lianhua in Chinese, are widely used traditional Chinese herbs with vital biological activity that has been used for several decades in China to treat upper respiratory infections, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. We developed a rapid and reliable method for simultaneous quantitative analysis of 19 flavonoids in trollflowers by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Chromatography was performed on Inertsil ODS-3 C18 column, with gradient elution methanol-acetonitrile-water with 0.02% (v/v) formic acid. Content determination was used to evaluate the quality of commercial trollflowers from different regions in China, while three Trollius species (Trollius chinensis Bunge, Trollius ledebouri Reichb, Trollius buddae Schipcz) were explicitly distinguished by using hierarchical clustering analysis. The linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were validated for the quantification method, which proved sensitive, accurate and reproducible indicating that the proposed approach was applicable for the routine analysis and quality control of trollflowers.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: zhilingsong8719@163.com.
Zhiling
Z
Song
Shimadzu International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Limited, Beijing 100020, China.
Yuki
Y
Hashi
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Hongyang
H
Sun
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Yi
Y
Liang
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Yuexiang
Y
Lan
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: hw9505@bjmu.edu.cn.
Hong
H
Wang
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: chenshizhong66@163.com.
Shizhong
S
Chen
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis*; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D029626:Ranunculaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005419:Flavonoids
Flavonoids; HPLC; Hierarchical clustering analysis; Trollius species