ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the quality of Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae from Pingyuan planting base and Chinese herbal medicine market. Methods The water- and alcohol-soluble extracts from 19 batches of Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae medicinal materials were detected according to Appendix ⅨH, ⅩA of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia ( 2010 edition). And the quality of the medicinal materials was evaluated by microscopic identification technology according to the method for Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae recorded in Guangdong Provincial Chinese Medicine Standard, and then thin layer chromatography ( TLC) was optimized to establish the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint. The HPLC was performed on Waters XBridgeTM C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5μm) with acetonitrile(A)-0.2% (v/v) phosphorus acid (B) as the mobile phase by gradient elution, flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and detection wavelength was 220 nm. Results The results of sample characters, TLC and microscopic identification showed that the samples of Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae in Chinese herbal medicine markets were certified products, but stems and roots were blended. Seven common peaks were showed by HPLC and confirmed by similarity analytical software. The similarity of 15 batches of planting base samples was all above 0.9. Of 19 batches of the commercial samples, the similarity of 11 batches was above 0.9. The alcohol-soluble extract contents were in the range of 64.55 mg/g to 186.18 mg/g. Conclusion The medicinal materials of Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae from Chinese herbal medicine market are certified products, but the qualities vary greatly for the blending of stems and roots and inadequate growth years. The quality of materials from planting base is better. The established method is helpful for the quality evaluation and control of Radix et Caulis Ilicis Asprellae.