Improved quality evaluation of Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza through simultaneous quantification of seven major active components by high‐performance liquid chromatography and principal component analysis

Abstract

A novel method, using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with principal component analysis, was developed for the quality evaluation of danshen through simultaneous determination of seven components, namely danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechuic aldehyde, salvianolic acid B, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA. These seven components were simultaneously separated on a Zorbax SB-C(18) column. The mobile phase consisted of 0.05% phosphoric acid water and methanol:acetonitrile (1:1) with a gradient elution, and the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. Thirty samples of danshen and its substitutes from different sources were investigated by the established method. The results showed that the content of each analyte varied considerably in different danshen samples. Among the seven components tested, salvianolic acid B, tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, danshensu and protocatechuic aldehyde were proved suitable and representative as chemical markers for the quality control of danshen except for protocatechuic acid. Moreover, principal component analysis was used for the similarity evaluation of different samples, and it could be straightforward and reliable to differentiate danshen samples of different origins. In conclusion, simultaneous quantification of multiple components by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with principal component analysis would be a better strategy for the quality evaluation of danshen.

Proteomic screening of antioxidant effects exhibited by Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza aqueous extract in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells under homocysteine treatment

“…These values are in good accordance with a mean content of mentioned three phenolic acids in the aqueous or the water-soluble extracts of Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza as reported previously by using various normal-bore HPLC or CE protocols (Cao et al, 2008;Liu et al, 1999;Lam et al, 2006Lam et al, , 2007Ma et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 1999). Determined here profile of the mean content values ratio of the three phenolic compounds: protocatechuic acid/danshensu/salvianolic acid B fitting well the commonly observed pattern 0.1:2:20 as described previously in the range of aqueous extracts of Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (Liu et al, 1999Lam et al, 2006Lam et al, , 2007Ma et al, 2006Ma et al, , 2007.…”

Simultaneous determination of tanshinone I, dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone in rat plasma by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetic study of a standardized fraction of Salvia miltiorrhiza, PF2401‐SF

“…Analytical methods for the quantitative determination of the active tanshinones, tanshinone I, dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone, in Salvia miltiorrhiza plants and medicinal preparations have been reported (Hu et al, 2005;Shi et al, 2005;Yuan et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2006;Yang et al, 2006;Zhou et al, 2006;Ma et al, 2007). Cryptotanshinone was metabolized to a major metabolite, tanshinone IIA, and trace amounts of several hydroxyl-and dihydroxyl-cryptotanshinone in rats (Li et al, 2005;Song et al, 2005;Hao et al, 2006a;Sun et al, 2007a,b).…”

“…The major bioactive constituents in Salvia miltiorrhiza can be classified into two groups based on the chemical structures: hydrophilic phenolic compounds such as danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, and salvianolic acid B; and lipophilic diterpenes with a phenanthrenequinone structure such as tanshinone I, dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone ( Fig. 1) Yang et al, 2006;Zhou et al, 2006;Ma et al, 2007). These tanshinones possess a variety of biological activities including antioxidative, antiinflammatory, antitumor, antifibrotic, antiischemic and antiapoptotic activities (Sung et al, 1999;Ng et al, 2000;Kim et al, 2002Kim et al, , 2003Wang et al, 2005;Bai et al, 2007;Chen et al, 2007;Park et al, 2007).…”

Infrared‐assisted extraction coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography for simultaneous determination of eight active compounds in Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae

“…For quantification of the active compounds in Danshen, researchers have investigated different analytical strategies, such as HPLC [27,28], CE [29,30], LC-MS [31,32], highspeed counter-current chromatography [33] and near IR spectroscopy [34]. Among these methods, HPLC methods are the most widely used and proved to be efficient enough for simultaneous separation and quantification of both the lipophilic and hydrophilic components [35,36].…”