Simultaneous quantification of five anthraquinones in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection (excitation 435 and emission 515 nm) was established and validated for quantification of five anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) in rat plasma. Following a single-step liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes and internal standard (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone) were separated on a reversed-phase C(18) column with water-phosphoric acid-methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The linear ranges of the calibration curves were 6.5-1300 ng/mL for aloe-emodin, 20-4000 ng/mL for rhein, 40-8000 ng/mL for emodin, 15-3000 ng/mL for chrysophanol and 13-2600 ng/mL for physcion. The lower limit of quantification was 6.5 ng/mL for aloe-emodin, 20 ng/mL for rhein, 40 ng/mL for emodin, 15 ng/mL for chrysophanol and 13 ng/mL for physcion. The mean accuracy was 94.3-105.1% for aloe-emodin, 90.3-108.8% for rhein, 92.6-106.7% for emodin, 95.8-103.8% for chrysophanol and 98.7-101.2% for physcion. The within-batch and between-batch precisions were < or = 5.5% and < or = 13.4%, respectively. This method is suitable for determining the five anthraquinones in plasma simultaneously and thus investigating the pharmacokinetics of anthraquinones from Xiexin decoction in rats.     

Separation and Determination of Five Anthraquinones in Rheum and Rheum-Containing Preparations by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

A capillary zone electrophoresis method modified by β-CD was, for the first time, developed for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones (physcion, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, emodin and rhein) in rheum and rheum-containing preparations. The factors relevant to the run buffer media and their effects on the separation were studied. A buffer solution composed of 15 mM sodium borate, 30 mM β-CD, 20% acetonitrile and 1.0% ethanediol was found to be the most suitable electrolyte for separation, whereby the contents of the five anthraquinones in rheum and rheum-containing preparations could be easily determined in 20 min at 20 kV. The relative standard deviation for the determination of the five constituents in the samples varied form 0.16–5.47%, and the recovery ranged between 92.0 and 107.3%. Moreover the inclusion constants of the target compounds, except for rhein with β-CD, were also determined.     

加压毛细管电色谱分离检测虎杖根中蒽醌类成分

建立了加压毛细管电色谱法(p CEC)检测大黄酸、大黄素、芦荟大黄素、大黄酚、大黄素甲醚5种蒽醌类成分的方法,并对虎杖根中蒽醌类的成分进行分析。该方法采用EP-100-20/45-3-C_(18)毛细管色谱柱(总长度45 cm,有效长度20 cm,直径为100μm,ODS填料3μm)进行分离,流动相为20 mmol/L Na H2PO4(pH 4.7)-乙腈(15∶85),流动相的总流速为0.04 m L/min,分离电压为+5 k V,紫外检测波长为254 nm。结果表明,5种蒽醌类成分的检出限(S/N=3)为0.60~2.54μg/m L,在3.57~162.68μg/m L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均不小于0.998 2。将所建立的方法用于虎杖中蒽醌类成分的分析,取得良好的实验结果,在低、中、高3个加标浓度下的回收率为91.1%~101.2%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.03%~3.6%。     

Simultaneous determination of anthraquinones in Rhubarb by pressurized liquid extraction and capillary zone electrophoresis

Rhubarb, a well-known Chinese herbal medicine, is also used in Europe and other places of the world. Anthraquinones derivatives are thought to be the major active components. A pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation were developed for simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones including aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, and rhein in Rhubarb. The effects of the experimental variables on PLE and CZE have been optimized. The optimum conditions of PLE were: solvent, methanol; temperature, 140 degrees C; particle size, 0.13-0.2 mm; static extraction time, 5 min; pressure, 1500 psi; and one extraction. The best separation of the five anthraquinones could be obtained using 50 mM borate buffer (pH 8.2) containing 25% isopropyl alcohol and 25% acetontrile as modifier, while the separation voltage was 25 kV and the temperature was at 20 degrees C. The method developed is accurate, simple, and reproducible, and could be used for quality control of Rhubarb and its medical preparations.     

Simultaneous determination of anthraquinones, their 8-beta-D-glucosides, and sennosides of Rhei Rhizoma by capillary electrophoresis

The simultaneous separation and determination of major anthraquinones (emodin, chrysophanol, rhein and their glucosides, aloe-emodin, sennoside A, and sennoside B) of Rhei Rhizoma were achieved by cyclodextrin modified capillary zone electrophoresis. The running electrolyte used in this method was 0.005 M alpha-cyclodextrin in 0.03 M borate buffer (pH 10.0) containing 20% acetonitrile, with an applied voltage of 20 kV.     

Purification of hydroxyanthraquinones and cinnamic acid from the roots of Rheum officinale Baill

A chromatographic method for isolation and purification of chemical constituents from the well-known traditional Chinese drug Da-huang (roots of Rheum officinale Baill.) was established by using 12% cross-linked agarose gel, Superose 12, as the separation media. A two-step separation procedure is employed. Sixty five percent methanol was used as the eluent for separation of cinnamic acid, rhein, physcion and emodin form Da-huang crude extract. The fraction containing aloe-emodin and chrysophanol was then separated by using 55% methanol containing 0.5% acetic acid as the eluent. As a result, cinnamic acid and five kinds of hydroxyanthraquinones including rhein, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, physcion and emodin were obtained. The retention behavior of hydroxyanthraquinones on Superose 12 was also studied. The retention of hydroxyanthraquinones on Superose 12 is based on a mixture of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions between the hydroxyl groups of the hydroxyanthraquinones and the residues of the cross-linking reagents used in the manufacturing process of Superose 12.     

Ionic Liquid-Based Ultrasonic/Microwave-Assisted Extraction Combined with UPLC for the Determination of Anthraquinones in Rhubarb

Ionic liquid-based ultrasonic/microwave-assisted extraction (IL-UMAE) of five anthraquinones (physcion, chrysophanol, emodin, rhein, and aloe-emodin) from rhubarb was first studied. Several parameters of UMAE were optimized, and the results were compared with of the heat-reflux extraction (HRE), ultrasound, and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE and UAE). The optimal UMAE conditions were as follows: the solvent was 2.0 mol L^?1 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide [bmim]Br solution, the ration of solid/liquid (g mL^?1) was 1:15, time was 2 min, and microwave power was 500 W. Under these UMAE conditions, total content of five anthraquinones was 28.00 mg g^?1. Compared with the conventional HRE, regular MAE and UAE techniques, the proposed approach exhibited higher efficiency (18.90?C24.40% enhanced) and shorter extraction time (from 6 h to 2 min). The anthraquinones were then determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Based on optimized conditions, contents of physcion, chrysophanol, emodin, rhein and aloe-emodin in rhubarb collected from different cultivated areas were 0.68?C2.99, 5.03?C15.40, 0.48?C4.34, 0.025?C3.93 and 0.26?C2.56 mg g^?1, respectively. This study suggests that IL-UMAE was an efficient, rapid, simple and green preparation technique.     

Thermal behavior of five free anthraquinones from rhubarb

The thermal behavior of five free anthraquinones (chrysophanol, emodin, physcion, aloe-emodin, and rhein) from rhubarb had been investigated using TG, DTG and DTA technique. The results show that all the free anthraquinones have the similar TG and DTG curve shapes, however, due to the substituted groups attached on the skeleton of 1,8-dihydroxy anthraquinone are different, every anthraquinone has different mass loss features. Moreover, all the DTA curves of these free anthraquinones have two obviously characteristic peaks, but with special curvilinear types, peak location and peak values. Therefore, thermal analysis (TA) characteristics of anthraquinones above mentioned could be established, and it is possible to easily distinguish these anthraquinones by using TA technique.     

Comparison of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on organic solvent and ionic liquid combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of emodin and its metabolites in urine samples

In this paper, two methods based on organic solvent dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (OS-DLLME) and ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (IL-DLLME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography have been critically compared for analyzing emodin and its metabolites (aloe-emodin, anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid, rhein, danthron, chrysophanol and physcion) in urine samples. Several important parameters influencing the extraction recoveries of DLLME were carefully optimized. Under optimal conditions, the enrichment factors (EFs) for emodin and its metabolites by OS-DLLME and IL-DLLME were within the range of 90-295 and 63-192 respectively; the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=3) for intra-day and inter-day precision were lower than 7.2 and 8.7% by OS-DLLME, and lower than 5.7 and 6.4% by IL-DLLME; the recoveries of emodin and its metabolites were from 87.1 to 105% for OS-DLLME and from 94.8 to 103% for IL-DLLME, respectively. There were no significant deviations between the two methods for the determination of emodin and its metabolites. From the results of HPLC/UV of urine sample after DLLME, the metabolites aloe-emodin, rhein, chrysophanol and physcion were identified by comparing the retention times with the standards. From the results of HPLC/MS, anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid and danthron as unreported metabolites of emodin were found.     

Simultaneous determination of hydroxyanthraquinones in rhubarb and experimental animal bodies by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five hydroxyanthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion) in Rhubarb and experimental animal bodies. A Zorbax SB-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm) and a methanol-0.5% acetic acid (85:15, v/v) mobile phase were used for the separation. The detection wavelength of a diode array detector (DAD) was set at 254 nm. Regression equations revealed a linear relationship (R2>0.9996) between the mass of hydroxyanthraquinones injected and the peak areas detected by DAD. The detection limits (S/N=3) ranged from 0.35 ng to 3.13 ng, and the recoveries ranged from 83% to 103% for different hydroxyanthraquinones. This method is simple, sensitive and suitable for the analysis of hydroxyanthraquinones in medicinal materials and pharmacological experiment samples.     

Determination of five anthraquinones in medicinal plants by capillary zone electrophoresis with beta-cyclodextrin addition

A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinone derivatives including aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, physcoin and rhein in Rheum species and Polygonum cuspidatum was established by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using beta-cyclodextrin (CD) as modifier and urea to enhance its solubility. The apparent binding constants of these derivatives with beta-CD were evaluated. After an optimization study, the best conditions were selected using 35 mM phosphate buffer (pH 11.0) containing 20 mM beta-CD and 2 M urea, applied voltage 20 kV and detection at 254 nm. Under such conditions, all of the five anthraquinones were baseline-separated within a short analysis time of 12 min with symmetrical peaks and high theoretical plate numbers (189,000-314,000). The RSD values of the migration times and peak areas were 0.6-1.1, 1.3-1.9% (intra-day) and 0.6-1.5, 1.3-2.8% (inter-day, for a 5-day period), respectively. The limits of detection for the analytes (S/N = 3) were 0.33-0.62 microg/ml. The recoveries were ranged from 93.37 to 107.69%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of anthraquinones in ethanol extracts of two kinds of Rheum plants (R. palmatum and R. hotaoense) and P. cuspidatum.     

Determination of pharmacologically active compounds in root extracts of Cassia alata L. by use of high performance liquid chromatography

A simple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the determination of six phenolic compounds, five anthraquinones (rhein, aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) and a flavonoid (kaempferol), in root extracts from Cassia alata L. Solid-phase extraction, using C(18) cartridges, was used to remove interfering substances from the root extracts. The extracts were analyzed on a C(18) column using an isocratic mobile phase which consisted of acetonitrile, methanol, and 10mM aqueous ammonium acetate (25:55:20, v/v). Identification of the analytes was performed by use of standards and on-line mass spectrometric detection using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. The concentration of the phenolic compounds in the root extracts was determined using HPLC with ultraviolet detection at 260nm. The limits of detection obtained for the anlytes were in the range of 0.23-4.61ppm. The overall R.S.D. precision values (intra- and inter-day) for the retention times and peak-areas were lower than 0.16 and 2.10%, respectively. In addition, the recovery of the developed method for the analysis of these phenolic compounds was determined, and ranged from 81.2+/-4.3 to 106+/-2%.     

Application of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids as background electrolyte in capillary zone electrophoresis for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones in Rhubarb

A capillary zone electrophoresis method using only 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids as background electrolyte for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinone derivatives including aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, physcion and rhein in Rhubarb species was described. Ion association constants, K_ass, between anthraquinone anions and imidazolium cations were determined by analyzing the electrophoretic mobility change of anthraquinone anions using a non-linear least-squares method and factors contributing to ion associability were systematically clarified. For method optimization, several parameters such as ionic liquids concentration, background electrolyte pH and applied voltage, on the separation were evaluated and the optimum conditions were obtained as follows: 90 mM 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (pH 11.0) with an applied voltage of 20 kV. Under these conditions, the method has been successfully applied to the determination of anthraquinones in extracts of two kinds of Rhubarb plants (R. palmatum and R. hotaoense) within 12 min. The method proposed herein was shown to be much simpler than the previously reported methods.     

中药材成分有机溶剂与离子液体分散液相微萃取方法的比较及其机理探讨

研究了离子液体分散液相微萃取(ILDLPME)机理;比较了ILDLPME和有机溶剂分散液相微萃取(OSDLPME)在测定蒽醌类化合物中的异同;建立了分散液相微萃取-高效液相色谱法测定药材中6种游离蒽醌类化合物(芦荟大黄素、大黄酸、丹蒽醌、大黄素、大黄酚和大黄素甲醚)含量的方法。在优化的实验条件下,OSDLPME和ILDLPME对6种分析物的富集倍数分别为101～230和76～181;6种分析物的检出限分别在20～200ng/L和40～400ng/L之间;精密度(RSD)分别在3.1%～10.0%和1.3%～7.0%之间;4种中药材中分析物的回收率在81.7%～110.7%和81.9%～110.8%之间。离子液体在水中分散的同时进行有序排列,形成分子有序组合体,对分析物进行萃取。ILDLPME达平衡时间更快,精密度更高,方法更简便;OSDLPME浓缩倍数更高,检出限更低;两种方法对中药样品中游离蒽醌类化合物含量测定结果无显著性差异。     

Separation and determination of four active anthraquinones in Chinese herbal preparations by flow injection-capillary electrophoresis

A simple, rapid, and accurate method for the separation and determination of physcion, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, and emodin in Rhubarb, Juemingzi, and Chinese herbal preparations was developed by combination of flow injection-capillary zone electrophoresis for the first time. The analysis was carried out using an unmodified fused-silica capillary (75 mm x 50 microm ID x 375 microm OD, effective separation length of 48 mm) and direct ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. By a series of optimization, the sample solvent consisted of NaOH (100 mmol/L) and ACN (1:1 v/v), and a running buffer composed of 15 mmol/L sodium borate - 12.5 mmol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate - 42% v/v ACN (pH 10.1) was applied for the separation of the four anthraquinones. The separation was rapid and highly reproducible, with complete resolution of all four compounds within 6 min. The sample throughput rate could reach up to 12 per h. The repeatability (defined as relative standard deviation) was 4.45, 4.44, 4.34, 0.61% with peak height evaluation and 1.62, 0.89, 2.49, 2.19% with peak area evaluation for physcion, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, and emodin, respectively.     

UHPLC–MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of five anthraquinones and gallic acid in rat plasma after oral administration of prepared rhubarb decoction and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in normal and acute blood stasis rats

Prepared rhubarb, as one of the main processed products of rhubarb, has a good effect on promoting blood circulation. In this paper we describe a rapid, sensitive, and selective ultra‐fast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of five anthraquinones (rhein, aloe‐emodin, chrysophanol, emodin, and physcion) and gallic acid in plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Extend C₁₈ column at the temperature of 30°C using a mobile phase that consisted of 0.1% aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile. Satisfactory linearity, precision, accuracy, extraction recovery, and matrix effect have been achieved. Then, the validated method was successfully applied to a comparative pharmacokinetic study. The results might be helpful for guiding clinical application of prepared rhubarb in the future.     

大黄药材指纹图谱研究

采用高效液相色谱法,Hypersil ODS柱,甲醇-1．0%冰醋酸为梯度流动相,研究了大黄的指纹图谱,其中大黄酸、大黄素、大黄酚、大黄素甲醚、芦荟大黄素作为为参照物,并对它们进行了含量测定．检测波长：430nm．共找出了23个共有峰,其中的5个峰是参照物,12个样品之间的相似度在90％以上．样品处理方法简单,研究所得的大黄指纹图谱稳定性、重复性好,可作为大黄药材的特征指纹图谱．     

Optimized separation of pharmacologically active anthraquinones in Rhubarb by capillary electrochromatography

A capillary electrochromatography (CEC) method with diode-array detection has been developed for the separation of the therapeutically important anthraquinones from Rhubarb extract and commercial traditional Chinese drugs containing Rhubarb. The separation of four major anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion) was optimized with respect to pH and concentration of buffers, addition of acetonitrile, applied voltage, and column temperature. Baseline separation was achieved for the four anthraquinones in less than 12 min using a background electrolyte consisting of 5 mM acetic acid (pH 4.5) with 80% acetonitrile. The possibility of CEC for the analysis of traditional Chinese medicines was discussed.     

虎杖中主要蒽醌的提取分离及HPLC分析测定

高压液相色谱法;虎杖中主要蒽醌的提取分离及HPLC分析测定     

Separation and determination of anthraquinones in Cassia obtusifolia (Leguminosae) by micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis

An MEKC method was developed for the determination of the five pharmaceutically important anthraquinones: chrysophanol (1), physcion (2), emodin (3), aloe-emodinin (4), and rhein (5) in Cassia obtusifolia (Leguminosae). A buffer solution (pH 9.00) composed of 20 mM sodium borate, 20 mM sodium deoxycholate (DOC), and 15% ACN was found to be the most suitable electrolyte for this separation. Regression equations revealed linear relationships (correlation coefficients: 0.9993, 0.9992, 0.9996, 0.9989, and 0.9991) between the peak area of each compound (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) and its concentration. The RSDs of migration times and peak areas were <1.23 and 2.72% within 1 day, respectively. The effects of pH value, surfactant (DOC) concentration, and organic modifier on the migration were also studied. By this way, the contents of five anthraquinones in the extracts of the seed of C. obtusifolia (Leguminosae) from different sources were successfully determined within 14 min.