title: Using UHPLC and UV-vis Fingerprint Method to Evaluate Substitutes forSwertia mileensis: An Endangered Medicinal Plant.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Millions of people are killed by viral hepatitis every year in the world, whereas many relevant medicines are too expensive to purchase.Swertia mileensis, a medicinal plant for hepatitis in the system of traditional Chinese medicine, has been vanishing gradually because of overexploitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find substitutes ofS. mileensisand reduce the cost of purchasing drugs for hepatitis patients, the similarity of phytochemical constituents betweenS. mileensisand other threeSwertiaspecies was compared.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both ultra high performance liquid chromatographies and ultraviolet-vis fingerprints of fourSwertiaspecies were developed. Methanol extracts of the stems and leaves were used as samples to establish the fingerprint. The calibration curve was drawn for quantitative analysis of swertiamarin. The data of ultra high performance liquid chromatographies were evaluated statistically using similarity analysis and principal component analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The result shows a significant difference at area of 204-290 nm in the ultraviolet fingerprint. Swertiamarin, the only one common peak, was defined in chromatographic fingerprints of fourSwertiaspecies. The quantitative analysis suggested that the highest concentration of swertiamarin is inS. davidii. The similarity indexes between different samples were almost under 0.60. In the principal component analysis, separate points not only represent the distinction among different species, but also perform chemical discrepancies in content between stems and leaves of one same species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  S. angustifolia,S. davidii, andS. puniceaare not suitable as substitutes ofS. mileensisbecause of their remarkable differences in entirety and local part. In order to address issues about substitutes and high cost of purchasing drugs, more studies need to undertake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The UHPLC fingerprint method indicated the significant difference on chemical ingredients in four plants fromSwertia.Swertiamarin is the unique common compounds for four plants, which exist are in leaves ofS. davidiiwith the highest content.The obvious diversity in four plants was displayed from comprehensive point of view though similarity assay and PCA analysis.The UV fingerprint method offsets the defect that the UHPLC fingerprint reflected messages of secoiridoid glycosides only.Abbreviation used:UHPLC: Ultra high performance liquid chromatography, UV-vis: Ultraviolet-vis, HBV: Anti-hepatitis virus, DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, PCA: Principal component analysis, D-GaIN: D-Galactosamine, BCG: Bacille Calmette-Guerin, LPS: Lipopolysaccharide.
authors.affiliation: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China; Institute of Medicine Plants, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine Plants, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China; Yunnan Technical Center for Quality of Chinese Materia Medica, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China; Institute of Medicine Plants, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China; Yunnan Technical Center for Quality of Chinese Materia Medica, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine Plants, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China; Yunnan Technical Center for Quality of Chinese Materia Medica, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Yuan-Zhong
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Heng-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: Fingerprint; Swertia mileensis; ultra high performance liquid chromatographies; ultraviolet-vis