Characterization of 10 species ofMahonia by capillary electrophoresis

Summary A simple, rapid and effective capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the characterization of 10 different species ofMahonia. A fingerprint of the extract of each species was constructed using a mixed buffer of borate and phosphate, containing methanol, pH 8.0. The effective electrophoretic mobility and % normalized area of each peak in electrophoregrams were evaluated to characterize various species. Three alkaloids: berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine were found in all 10 species. The CE technique appears to provide a powerful tool for the identification and quality control of plant drugs.