[High-performance capillary electrophoresis for determining caffeic acid content in compound Yinhuangjiedu decoction].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for determining the content of caffeic acid in compound Yinhuangjiedu decoction using high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE). METHODS: The optimized HPCE for determining caffeic acid content utilized a fused-silica capillary tube (75 microm x 60 cm, effective length of 53 cm) with 20 mmol/L borate as the running buffer (pH=9.18), a constant voltage of 12 kV, a sampling time of 5 s at 25 degrees celsius, and UV detection wavelength at 313 nm. RESULTS: The linear range of caffeic acid was 20-100 microg/ml. CONCLUSION: HPCE is simple, rapid, and sensitive for quality control of the compound Yinhuangjiedu decoction.