Simultaneous determination of 10 anthraquinone derivatives in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma based on UPLC / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective To establish a simultaneous quantitative analytical method of 10 anthraquinone derivatives in Rheum officinale based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) for the quality evaluation and control. Methods The UPLC method was performed on a BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with a binary gradient mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol and 0.1% aqueous phosphoric acid with column temperature at 34 ℃. Using a gradient elution method; The flow rate was set at 0.20 mL/min; The injection volume was set at 2.0 μL; The detection wavelength was set at 410 nm. This study focused on the influence of analytical parameters on the separation efficiency of five anthraquinone glucosides in R. officinale. To obtain robust chromatographic resolution of the five anthraquinone glucosides, relatively important chromatographic parameters including the retention time, resolution, theoretical plate number, and symmetry factor were investigated by altering the column temperature and flow rate. Results The optimal column temperature was found to be 34 ℃, and the optimal flow rate was 0.20 mL/min. A new UPLC analytical method was developed for simultaneous quantification of 10 anthraquinone derivatives in R. officinale based on these optimal parameters. This UPLC-based analytical method was successfully applied to quantitative determination of 10 anthraquinone derivatives in Rheum tanguticum and Rheum palmatum. The analysis showed that there were significant content differences between aloe-emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (more than 60-fold) and rhein-8-O-β-D-glucoside (more than 77-fold) in the two species of rhubarbs tested. Conclusion The UPLC method established for the simultaneous determination of 10 anthraquinone derivatives in R. officinale based on the optimal parameters is accurate and sensitive, which will provide a more comprehensive evaluation for the chemical characterization of medicinal materials of R. officinale from different sources.