Abstract
A reverse phase ultra performance liquid chromatography and photodiode array (UPLC-PDA) detection method was established for the determination of six alkaloids in Zoagumhwan (ZGW), and further for investigating the influence of nonpolar substances on the extraction efficiency of these alkaloids. The method was based on a BEH C18 (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column and mobile phase of aqueous phosphoric acid and acetonitrile including 0.05% buffer solution under gradient elution. ZGW samples of ZGW I, II, III and IV were obtained and prepared by pre-processing the crude materials of Coptidis rhizoma and Evodiae fructus using four technologies, namely direct water decoction, removal of nonpolar substances in Evodiae fructus by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), removal of nonpolar substances in ZGW by SFE and removal of nonpolar substances in ZGW by steam distillation. The developed and validated UPLC-PDA method was precise, accurate and sensitive enough based on the facts that the six alkaloids showed good regression (r > 0.9998), the limit of detections and quantifications for six alkaloids were less than 28.8 and 94.5 ng/mL, respectively, and the recovery was in the range of 98.56%–103.24%. The sequence of the total contents of six alkaloids in these samples was ZGW II > ZGW IV > ZGW III > ZGW I. ZGW II, in which nonpolar substances, including essential oils, were firstly removed from Evodiae fructus by SFE, had the highest content of the total alkaloids, indicating that extraction efficiency of the total alkaloids could be remarkably increased after Evodiae fructus being extracted by SFE.
Highlights
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and their compound preparations have become more and more popular around the World during the last decade for their therapeutic effects which are complementary to Western medicines, and their capability to deal with many essential problems that have not yet been solved by current medicinal practices [1]
Many factors shown to affect the extraction efficiency of these alkaloids from Zoagumhwan, such as altering extraction solution [8], decoction conditions, sequence of decoction [9], etc., have been investigated. It is well-known that Evodiae fructus, one of the components in Zoagumhwan, contains a volatile fraction, and monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are the main volatile components in the volatile sample of Evodia according to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis [10,11,12]
The results indicated that removal of nonpolar substances from Evodiae fructus could remarkably increase the extraction efficiency of the total alkaloids
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and their compound preparations have become more and more popular around the World during the last decade for their therapeutic effects which are complementary to Western medicines, and their capability to deal with many essential problems that have not yet been solved by current medicinal practices [1]. ZGW has been officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia [3] for its satisfactory effects of healing hypochondric and costal pain, stomach ache, acid reflux and nausea Many factors shown to affect the extraction efficiency of these alkaloids from Zoagumhwan, such as altering extraction solution [8], decoction conditions, sequence of decoction [9], etc., have been investigated It is well-known that Evodiae fructus, one of the components in Zoagumhwan, contains a volatile fraction, and monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are the main volatile components in the volatile sample of Evodia according to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis [10,11,12]. A rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography and photodiode array (UPLC-PDA) detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the six alkaloids in these extracts
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