Determination of Visnagin inAmmi visnagaHairy Root Cultures Using Solid-Phase Extraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for separation of the furochromone fraction and for determination of visnagin inAmmi visnagahairy root cultures. Lyophilized samples were extracted with chloroform:methanol (1:1, v/v) and purified on solid-phase extraction cartridges. HPLC analyses were performed on a Eurospher 100-C₈Knauer column and the mobile phase was 29:28:526:417 (v/v/v/v) acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran:30 mM citric acid (pH 3.0):methanol. Quercetin was used as internal standard. Peaks were identified by addition of authentic standards and/or by diode-array detection.     

Fast and improved separation of major coumarins in Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam. by supercritical fluid chromatography

The first supercritical fluid chromatography method for the determination of five major coumarins (dihydrosamidin, visnadin, samidin, khellin, and visnagin) in Ammi visnaga fruits is described. Their baseline separation was possible in less than 5 min by using a UPC² HSS C₁₈ SB column with 1.8 μm particle size and a mobile phase comprising CO₂, methanol, acetonitrile, and diethylamine. The type of stationary phase used was of particular relevance because, except for the selected one, the others did not resolve the two structural isomers dihydrosamidin and visnadin. Method validation confirmed that the procedure is linear (R² ≥ 0.9996) in a concentration range from 6 to 480 μg/mL, it is accurate (recovery rates: 97.2–103.6%) and precise (intraday deviation ≤ 6.6%, intraday deviation ≤ 1.7%); injecting 1 μL of standard solution, the determined limit of detection was below 1.9 μg/mL for all compounds. The analysis of different A. visnaga samples revealed their similar compositions, and khellin (0.75–1.01%) and visnagin (0.18–0.46%) were the dominant coumarins. Visnadin and dihydrosamidin, the individual quantification of which is described for the first time, were present at concentrations below 0.14%.     

Microwave‐assisted extraction followed by RP‐HPLC for the simultaneous extraction and determination of forsythiaside A,rutin, and phillyrin in the fruits of Forsythia suspensa

An optimized microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) method and RP‐HPLC method were developed for the simultaneous extraction and determination of rutin, forsythiaside A, and phillyrin in the fruits of Forsythia suspensa. The key parameters of the open‐vessel MAE process were optimized. A mixed solvent of methanol and water (70:30, v/v) was most suitable for the simultaneous extraction of the three components. The sample was soaked for 10 min before extraction. The optimized conditions were: microwave power 400 W, temperature 70°C, solvent‐to‐material ratio 30 mL/g, and extraction time 1 min. Compared to conventional extraction methods, the proposed method can simultaneously extract the three components in high yields and was proved to be a more rapid method with a lower solvent consumption. The optimized HPLC–photodiode array detection analysis was validated to have good linearity, precision, accuracy, and sensitivity. The developed MAE followed by RP‐HPLC is a fast and appropriate method for the simultaneous extraction and determination of rutin, forsythiaside A, and phillyrin in the fruits of F. suspensa.     

Development and validation of a highly sensitive and robust LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for simultaneous quantitation of simvastatin acid,amlodipine and valsartan in human plasma: application to a clinical pharmacokinetic study

A high‐throughput, simple, highly sensitive and specific LC‐MS/MS method has been developed for simultaneous estimation of simvastatin acid (SA), amlodipine (AD) and valsartan (VS) with 500 µL of human plasma using deuterated simvastatin acid as an internal standard (IS). The API‐4000 LC‐MS/MS was operated under the multiple reaction‐monitoring mode (MRM) using electrospray ionization. The assay procedure involved precipitation of SA, AD, VS and IS from plasma with acetonitrile. The total run time was 2.8 min and the elution of SA, AD, VS and IS occurred at 1.81, 1.12, 1.14 and 1.81 min, respectively; this was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of 0.02 m ammonium formate (pH 4.5):acetonitrile (20:80, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.50 mL/min on an X‐Terra C₁₈ column. A linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 0.5–50 ng/mL (r > 0.994) for VS and 0.2–50 ng/mL (r > 0.996) for SA and AD. The method validation parameters for all three analytes met the acceptance as per FDA guidelines. This novel method has been applied to human pharmacokinetic study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability-Indicating Chromatographic Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Mosapride and Pantoprazole in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form and Plasma Samples

Simple, sensitive, selective, precise, and stability-indicating thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for the determination of mosapride and pantoprazole in pharmaceutical tablets were developed and validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The TLC method employs aluminum TLC plates precoated with silica gel 60F₂₅₄ as the stationary phase and ethyl acetate/methanol/toluene (4:1:2, v/v/v) as the mobile phase to give compact spots for mosapride (R _f 0.73) and pantoprazole (R _f 0.45) separated from their degradation products; the chromatogram was scanned at 276 nm. The HPLC method utilizes a C18 column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/methanol/20 mM ammonium acetate (4:2:4, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹ for the separation of mosapride (t _R 11.4) and pantoprazole (t _R 4.4) from their degradation products. Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 280 nm. The same HPLC method was successfully used in performing calibrations in lower concentration ranges for both drugs in human plasma using ezetimibe as internal standard. The methods were validated in terms of accuracy, precision, linearity, limits of detection, and limits of quantification. Mosapride and pantoprazole were exposed to acid hydrolysis and then analyzed by the proposed methods. As the methods could effectively separate the drugs from their degradation products, these techniques can be employed as stability-indicating methods that have been successively applied to pharmaceutical formulations without interference from the excipients. Moreover the HPLC method was successfully used in the determination of both drugs in spiked human plasma.

     

Isolation of Anti-HIV Components from Canarium album Fruits by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography

The fruit of Canarium album, also called Chinese olive, is a popular food and traditional Chinese herb. The ethyl acetate extract of Canarium album fruits was found to exhibit an inhibitory effect on six-helix bundle formation of the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) glycoprotein transmembrane subunit gp41 in our previous study. In this paper, a preparative separation of anti-HIV components from an ethyl acetate extract of Canarium album fruits was performed by high-speed counter-current chromatography, using a solvent system of n-hexane–ethyl acetate–ethanol–0.5% acetic acid aqueous (0.5:9.5:2:8, v/v/v/v). Among the six fractions obtained from a single separation process, three exhibited over 90% purity as determined by HPLC, two compounds were identified as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, and four fractions displayed significant inhibitory effects on HIV-1 IIIB infection. These findings suggest that the high-speed counter-current chromatography is an effective and reliable technique for separating bioactive components from medicinal herbs. Further identification of the active compounds in Canarium album fruits and studying their mechanism of action are warranted.     

The bioanalysis of vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine in human and mouse plasma using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with heated electrospray ionization tandem mass–spectrometry

A sensitive, specific and efficient high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous determination of vinorelbine and its metabolite 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine in human and mouse plasma is presented. Heated electrospray ionization was applied followed by tandem mass spectrometry. A 50 µL plasma aliquot was protein precipitated with acetonitrile–methanol (1:1, v/v) containing the internal standard vinorelbine‐d3 and 20 µL volumes were injected onto the HPLC system. Separation was achieved on a 50 × 2.1 mm i.d. Xbridge C₁₈ column using isocratic elution with 1 mm ammonium acetate–ammonia buffer pH 10.5–acetonitrile–methanol (28:12:60, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The HPLC run time was 5 min. The assay quantifies both vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine from 0.1 to 100 ng/mL using sample volumes of only 50 µL. Mouse plasma samples can be quantified using calibration curves prepared in human plasma. Validation results demonstrate that vinorelbine and 4‐O‐deacetylvinorelbine can be accurately and precisely quantified in human and mouse plasma with the presented method. The assay is now in use to support (pre‐)clinical pharmacologic studies with vinorelbine in humans and mice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient method for screening and identification of radical scavengers in the leaves of Olea europaea L

In this article, an efficient method was developed to screen, isolate and identify the major radical scavengers in the leaves of Olea europaea L. by DPPH‐HPLC‐DAD, HSCCC and NMR. The method of DPPH‐HPLC‐DAD was used to screen the major radical scavengers. It was found that three major constituents (A, B, C) in the extract of the leaves of O. europaea L. possessed potential antioxidant activities. In order to identify the chemical structures of those compounds, the HSCCC method with a two‐phase solvent system composed of petroleum ether–ethyl acetate–water at an optimized volume ratio of 6:600:700 (v/v/v) together with column chromatography was developed to isolate and purify the active compounds. Pure compounds A (225 mg), B (10 mg) and C (12 mg) with purities 92.6, 95.1 and 96.4%, respectively, were obtained from the crude sample (500 mg). Their structures were identified as oleuropein (A), luteolin‐7‐O‐glucoside (B) and verbascoside (C) by ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A reliable method of liquid chromatography for the quantification of acetaminophen and identification of its toxic metabolite N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine for application in pediatric studies

The aim of the present study was to develop a simple, selective and reliable method to quantify acetaminophen and its toxic metabolite N‐acetyl‐p‐benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI) for pediatric studies using 100 µL plasma samples, by reverse‐phase HPLC and UV detection. The assay was performed using a C₁₈ column and an isocratic elution with water–methanol–formic acid (70:30:0.15; v/v/v) as mobile phase. Linearity of the method was assayed in the range of 1–30 µg/mL for acetaminophen and 10–200 µg/mL for NAPQI, with a correlation coefficient r = 0.999 for both compounds, and inter‐ and intra‐day coefficients of variation of less than 13%. Several commonly co‐administered drugs were analyzed for selectivity and no interference with the determinations was observed. The detection and quantification limits for acetaminophen and NAPQI were 0.1 and 1 µg/mL, and 0.1 and 10 µg/mL respectively. The present method can be used to monitor acetaminophen levels using 100 µL plasma samples, which may be helpful when very small samples need to be analyzed, as in pharmacokinetics determination or drug monitoring in plasma in children. This assay is also able to detect the NAPQI for drug monitoring in patients diagnosed with acetaminophen intoxication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Residues Analysis of Post-Harvest Imidazole Fungicides in Citrus Fruit by H PLC and GLC

Abstract

The determination of imazalil and prochloraz fungicide residues has been carried out by HPLC with an UV detector at 204 nm and by GLC with an electron capture detector (ECD).

In both cases fungicide residues were extracted with hexane/acetone (90:10, v/v) after pH adjustment and purified by a liquid-liquid partitioning process. When HPLC was used for prochloraz and imazalil analysis, it was necessary to eliminate the interfering substances with a further clean-up process. This was also required when samples with low residue levels were analyzed by GLC.

Recovery was always higher than 70%. The detection limit was 0.04 ppm for the HPLC method and 0.02 for the GLC method.

Imazalil and prochloraz residues in “Washington Navel” oranges and “Hernandina” clementine fruits, dipped in a 1000 ppm fungicide solution, are reported.     

Constituent analysis and quality control of anthocyanin constituents of dried Lycium ruthenicum Murray fruits by HPLC–MS and HPLC–DAD

In recent years, many investigations on the anthocyanins of the fresh Lycium ruthenicum Murray fruits have been reported; while few studies about dried fruits have been published. In this study, chemical profile of dried fruits was illustrated by a high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method, which provided evidence for the certain identification of the main anthocyanins. Among these compounds, nine of them were selected as marker compounds for the semiquantitative evaluation, using a simple and reliable method by high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection (HPLC–DAD), with the combination of chromatographic fingerprint analysis. Separation was achieved on a C18 ODS 80TS QA analytical column with linear gradient elution of acetonitrile and 10% formic acid and 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) aqueous solution. Our results showed that the contents of anthocyanins of dried L. ruthenicum Murray from different origins were different. We also inferred the anthocyanin compositions of dried L. ruthenicum Murray through analyzing the UV spectrum, retention time, elution order, and MS data. Finally, eight kinds of anthocyanin compositions were identified and different from the anthocyanins in fresh L. ruthenicum Murray. In a word, this study may provide experimental data in further development and utilization of L. ruthenicum Murray.     

Optimization of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with central composite design for preconcentration of chlordiazepoxide drug and its determination by HPLC‐UV

A simple, rapid, and sensitive method based on dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with HPLC‐UV detection applied for the quantification of chlordiazepoxide in some real samples. The effect of different extraction conditions on the extraction efficiency of the chlordiazepoxide drug was investigated and optimized using central composite design as a conventional efficient tool. Optimum extraction condition values of variables were set as 210 μL chloroform, 1.8 mL methanol, 1.0 min extraction time, 5.0 min centrifugation at 5000 rpm min^?1, neutral pH, 7.0% w/v NaCl. The separation was reached in less than 8.0 min using a C₁₈ column using isocratic binary mobile phase (acetonitrile/water (60:40, v/v)) with flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. The linear response (r² > 0.998) was achieved in the range of 0.005–10 μg mL^?1 with detection limit 0.0005 μg mL^?1. The applicability of this method for simultaneous extraction and determination of chlordiazepoxide in four different matrices (water, urine, plasma, and chlordiazepoxide tablet) were investigated using standard addition method. Average recoveries at two spiking levels were over the range of 91.3–102.5% with RSD < 5.0% (n = 3). The obtained results show that dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction combined with HPLC‐UV is a fast and simple method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide in real samples.     

Simultaneous quantification of metformin and glipizide in human plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

A selective, sensitive and rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated to determine metformin and glipizide simultaneously in human plasma using phenacetin as internal standard (IS). After one‐step protein precipitation of 200 μL plasma with methanol, metformin, glipizide and IS were separated on a Kromasil Phenyl column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 µm) at 40°C with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of methanol–10 mmol/L ammonium acetate (75:25, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.35 mL/min. Electrospray ionization source was applied and operated in the positive mode. Multiple reaction monitoring using the precursor → product ion combinations of m/z 130 → m/z 71, m/z 446 → m/z 321 and m/z 180 → m/z 110 were used to quantify metformin, glipizide and IS, respectively. The linear calibration curves were obtained over the concentration ranges 4.10–656 ng/mL for metformin and 2.55–408 ng/mL for glipizide. The relative standard deviation of intra‐day and inter‐day precision was below 10% and the relative error of accuracy was between ?7.0 and 4.6%. The presented HPLC‐MS/MS method was proved to be suitable for the pharmacokinetic study of metformin hydrochloride and glipizide tablets in healthy volunteers after oral administration. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alkaloid Composition of Chelidonium majus L. Studied by Different Chromatographic Techniques

The greater celandine (Chelidonium majus L.) is a well known source of isoquinoline alkaloids with therapeutic value. The aim of our work was to develop a simple and fast method to determine the alkaloid composition in Chelidonium plant organs. TLC-densitometry seemed to be the most convenient analytical technique for routine, fast investigations and its precision was controlled by using HPLC. A densitometric method using Silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ with chloroform-methanol 60:30 (v/v) and methylene chloride-methanol 97:3 (v/v) as mobile phases has been developed to quantify the main alkaloids (chelidonine, chelerythrine, sanguinarine, coptisine and berberine). The application of TLC permitted utilizing the fluorescence of alkaloids without purification and made the detection extremely sensitive. The samples were further investigated by our reliable HPLC method. Analysis was performed on a C₁₈ column with acetonitrile-methanol-30 mM ammonium formate (pH = 2.8) 14.7:18.0:67.3 (v/v/v) as mobile phase and alkaloids were determined at 280 nm by using external standards. Our TLC-densitometric method elaborated is a simple technique for accurate and reproducible determination of Chelidonium alkaloids. The results of the two chromatographic methods showed good agreement.     

A sensitive non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometric method for multiresidue analyses of β‐agonists in pork

Non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (NACE‐MS) was developed for trace analyses of β‐agonists (i.e. clenbuterol, salbutamol and terbutaline) in pork. The NACE was in 18 mM ammonium acetate in methanol–acetonitrile–glacial acetic acid (66 : 33 : 1, v/v/v) using a voltage of 28 kV. The hyphenation of CE with a time‐of‐flight MS was performed by electrospray ionization interface employing 5 mM ammonium acetate in methanol–water (80 : 20, v/v) as the sheath liquid at a flow rate of 2 μL/min. Method sensitivity was enhanced by a co‐injection technique (combination of hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection) using a pressure of 50 mbar and a voltage of 10 kV for 12 s. The method was validated in comparison with HPLC–MS‐MS. The NACE‐MS procedure provided excellent detection limits of 0.3 ppb for all analytes. Method linearity was good (r² > 0.999, in a range of 0.8–1000 ppb for all analytes). Precision showed %RSDs of <17.7%. Sample pre‐treatment was carried out by solid‐phase extraction using mixed mode reversed phase/cation exchange cartridges yielding recoveries between 69 and 80%. The NACE‐MS could be successfully used for the analysis of β‐agonists in pork samples and results showed no statistical differences from the values reported by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand using HPLC‐MS‐MS method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of cholesterol in fat and muscle of pig by HPLC and capillary gas chromatography with solvent venting injection

Two methods for determination of cholesterol in fat and muscle of pig were evaluated: extraction with chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) followed by saponification (method 1) and direct saponification (method 2). HPLC and GC were used to determine cholesterol concentrations. GC analysis was performed with a capillary column of 100 μm using a PTV injector in the modes of cold split and solvent venting. Cholesterol was analyzed without derivatization. Both methods of extraction did not present significant differences (p > 0.01). Sample analysis by GC with solvent venting injection and HPLC showed the lowest % r.s.d. but GC in the cold split mode allowed to obtain a shorter analysis time. Cholesterol concentrations obtained by HPLC were not statistically different from the results obtained by GC with solvent venting injection and were slightly lower than those previously reported. Cholesterol concentrations in fat and muscle tissues respectively ranged from 52 to 77 mg/100 g and from 55 to 65 mg/100 g.     

Validated HPLC and HPTLC Method for Simultaneous Quantitation of Amlodipine Besylate and Olmesartan Medoxomil in Bulk Drug and Formulation

Two methods are described for simultaneous determination of amlodipine besylate and olmesartan medoxomil in formulation. The first method was based on the HPTLC separation of two drugs on Merck HPTLC aluminium sheets of silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ using n-butanol: acetic acid: water (5:1:0.1, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The second method was based on the HPLC separation of the two drugs on the RP-PerfectSil-100 ODS-3–C₁₈ column from MZ-Analysetechnik GmbH, Germany and acetonitrile/0.03 M ammonium acetate buffer (pH = 3) in a ratio of 55:45 as the mobile phase. Both methods have been applied to formulation without interference of excipients of formulation.     

Determination and quantification of phenolic compounds in methanolic extracts of Solanum ferrugineum (Solanaceae) fruits by HPLC-DAD and HPLC/ESI-MS/TOF

Solanum ferrugineum Jacq. is a wild species that in previous analysis reported a significant antioxidant capacity. The aim of our research was to determine total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), and the phenolic composition by HPLC-DAD and HPLC/ESI-MS/TOF of methanolic extracts of S. ferrugineum fruits, collected from Paredones, Jiquilpan, and Fray Dominguez, Pajuacarán in the Mexican state of Michoacán. TPC and TFC were determined by the spectrophotometric Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and the AlCl₃ method, respectively. TPC in S. ferrugineum fruit [31.41?±?0.91?mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry tissue (DT)] was similar to those reported for Turkey berry (Solanum torvum Sw.) and eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) fruits. The TFC values of S. ferrugineum fruits (29.14?±?4.99?mg catechin equivalent /g DT) corresponded to 80.24% of the TPC. Eight phenolic compounds (PC) were identified by HPLC analysis. The main PC identified in S. ferrugineum fruits were chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, gallic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol. S. ferrugineum fruits could be used as a starting material for the extraction of high-value PC with potential applications.     

Simple HPLC method for detection of trace ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in high-purity methamphetamine

A simple and sensitive HPLC technique was developed for the qualitative determination of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine (ephedrines), used as precursors of clandestine d‐methamphetamine hydrochloride of high purity. Good separation of ephedrines from bulk d‐methamphetamine was achieved, without any extraction or derivatization procedure on a CAPCELLPACK C₁₈ MGII (250 × 4.6 mm) column. The mobile phase consisted of 50 mM KH₂PO₄–acetonitrile (94:6 v/v %) using an isocratic pump system within 20 min for detecting two analytes. One run took about 50 min as it was necessary to wash out overloaded methamphetamine for column conditioning. The analytes were detected by UV absorbance measurement at 210 nm. A sample (20 mg) was simply dissolved in 1 mL of water, and a 50 μL aliquot of the solution was injected into the HPLC. The detection limits for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in bulk d‐methamphetamine were as low as 3 ppm each. This analytical separation technique made it possible to detect ephedrine and/or pseudoephedrine in seven samples of high‐purity d‐methamphetamine hydrochloride seized in Japan. The presence of trace ephedrines in illicit methamphetamine may strongly indicate a synthetic route via ephedrine in methamphetamine profiling. This method is simple and sensitive, requiring only commonly available equipment, and should be useful for high‐purity methamphetamine profiling. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validated HPLC Method for Simultaneous Quantitation of Bergenin,Arbutin, and Gallic Acid in Leaves of Different Bergenia Species

Bergenia species (Saxifragaceae) are important sources of herbal medicines in Asia, mainly in Russia. Various plant parts are valued for their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant sand adaptogenic effect, and used for the dissolution of kidney and bladder stones. In this study a rapid reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method has been developed for rapid screening and identifying of the main active components in leaf samples of Bergenia accessions. The main goal of this study was to develop an efficient method for the simultaneous identification and detection of arbutin, bergenin and gallic acid from Bergenia leaf samples, which were extracted with a methanolic solvent mixture [methanol:water = 1:1 (v/v)]. Chromatographic separations were performed on a reversed phase Luna C18(2)-HST HPLC column. This chromatographic system provided increased speed and efficiency for separations, without the need for ultra-high pressures. Reversed phase HPLC coupled with diode array detector method was used for the analysis. The method was validated using ICH guidelines. The level of gallic acid was significantly higher in Bergenia crassifolia samples compared to Bergenia cordifolia. However, the samples of the two Bergenia species did not differ substantially regarding the concentrations of arbutin and bergenin. The novel method proved to be fast and allowed sufficient separation and quantification of arbutin, bergenin and gallic acid, the most important bioactive compounds of Bergenia leaves; thus facilitating rapid screening and quality assessment of Bergenia samples of various botanical and geographical origins.