Development of the method of quantitative determination of anthracen derivatives in rhizomes and roots of Rubia tinctorum

This paper discusses the current methods to improve standardization procedure of medicinal plant raw materials of Rubia tinctorum. New approaches for quantitative analysis of rhizomes and roots of Rubia tinctorum are introduced. They include spectrophotometry at the analytical wavelength of 510 nm and ultrasound. These methods helped to achieve the maximal output of anthracen derivatives from raw materials. At present, existing technology for extracting medicinal substances from animal and plant tissues is mostly inefficient and time-consuming. Low-frequency ultrasound reduces the time of extraction by ten or several hundred folds. During ultrasound transmission through a molecule, its light part oscillates in resonance with the frequency of the wave, and its heavy part lags behind. As a result, areas of tension, considerable friction forces, superior to the forces of chemical bonding appear and the whole substance of the molecule break. Nowadays this topic is relevant because the development and application of ultrasound technique opens up new opportunities. By means of the improved technique, we found that the content of the total of anthracene derivatives in samples of medicinal plant raw materials of Rubia tinctorum varies from 4.20% to 4.60% (calculated with reference to ruberythric acid). Our findings indicate the maximum yield of anthracene derivatives from medicinal plant raw materials of Rubia tinctorum and the feasibility of further research in the development of new drugs.