Identification of traditional Chinese medicines by oligosaccharide electrophoresis analysis assisted with cluster analysis

Abstract

The structure of polysaccharide in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is complex and characteristic. A method of oligosaccharide electrophoresis analysis assisted with cluster analysis (CA) was established to simultaneously identify TCMs. Six TCMs from three families were selected as experimental subjects and their polysaccharides were extracted. The obtained oligosaccharides via incompletely degraded TCM polysaccharides were derivatized using 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP). The PMP-oligosaccharide derivatives were separated and analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The six TCMs were identified by the featured information of oligosaccharide electropherograms with CA. The electrophoresis conditions were as follows: uncoated fused silica capillary column (49 cm/40 cm (total length/effective length) x 50 microm); running buffer solution, 50 mmol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 2.5); detection wavelength, 245 nm; operating voltage, 15 kV; hydrodynamic pressure injection, 10 cm x 4 s. The results showed that the six TCMs from three families were effectively identified by the method of TCM oligosaccharide electropherograms combined with CA. This method is a promising tool to identify TCM with good reliability and reproducibility.