ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the polyphenol extracted from Litchi chinensis and quantify the content of four kinds of polyphenol therein, the combination of fingerprint and quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) was used. Methods: A total of 22 batches of extract from Litchi chinensis were assayed by RP-UPLC to establish a common mode of fingerprints. For achieving QAMS, a method was developed by selecting epicatechin as internal reference and the relative correction factor of the three components, procyanidin A2, procyanidin B2, and epicatechin-(4β→8,2β→O→7)-epicatechin-(4β→8)-epicatechin (PC-C), to determine their contents. The feasibility and accuracy of QAMS were evaluated by comparing the contents of four polyphenols determined with two different methods, QAMS and external standard method. Results: Nineteen common peaks were identified in the characteristic fingerprint, nine components, including the known principal components, procyanidine B2 (peak 6), epicatechin (peak 8), PC-C (peak 9), procyanidine A2 (peak 15), three trimers of procyanidine type A (peaks 12, 16, and 17), a dimer of procyanidine type A (peak 19) and a dimer of procyanidine type B (peak 14), were verified in 22 batches of Litchi chinensis extract. Good similarities with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9 were found in 22 batches fingerprints. There was no significant difference between calculated value and detected value of the four ingredients in 22 batches, by QAMS and external standard method. Conclusion: The results showed that the combined method of fingerprint and QAMS for quality control is accurate and feasible and provide reference method to evaluate the quality of extracts from Litchi chinensis.