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Quantication of Aconitum alkaloids in aconite roots by a modied RP‐HPLC method
Author(s) -
Jiang ZhiHong,
Xie Ying,
Zhou Hua,
Wang JingRong,
Liu ZhongQiu,
Wong YuenFan,
Cai Xiong,
Xu HongXi,
Liu Liang
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
phytochemical analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1099-1565
pISSN - 0958-0344
DOI - 10.1002/pca.861
Subject(s) - aconitum , aconitine , chemistry , alkaloid , chromatography , gradient elution , ammonium bicarbonate , high performance liquid chromatography , ranunculaceae , botany , raw material , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , biology
The three Aconitum alkaloids, aconitine (1), mesaconitine (2) and hypaconitine (3), are pharmacologically active but also highly toxic. A standardised method is needed for assessing the levels of these alkaloids in aconite roots in order to ensure the safe use of these plant materials as medicinal herbs. By optimising extraction, separation and measurement conditions, a reliable, reproducible and accurate method for the quantitative determination of all three Aconitum alkaloids in unprocessed and processed aconite roots has been developed. This method should be appropriate for use in the quality control of Aconitum products. The three Aconitum alkaloids were separated by a modied HPLC method employing a C 18 column gradient eluted with acetonitrile and ammonium bicarbonate buffer. Quantication of Aconitum alkaloids, detected at 240 nm, in different batches of samples showed that the content of 1, 2 and 3 varied signicantly. In general, the alkaloid content of unprocessed roots was higher than that of processed roots. These variations were considered to be the result of differences in species, processing methods and places of origin of the samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.