An improved extraction procedure for the rapid, quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic estimation of the main eleutherosides (B and E) in Eleutherococcus senticosus (Eleuthero)

Eleutherosides were extracted with aqueous methanol and analysed by reverse d-phase high performance liquid chromatography on a C-18 column. Recovery w as better than 80% for eleutheroside B within the concentration range 500 t o 10,000 mu g, and similarly for eleutherosides E in the range 500 to 2,500 mu g. Lower recovery values were obtained at higher concentrations for ele utheroside E due to its insolubility in alcoholic solutions, The use of tri fluoroacetic acid solution in methanol was found to resolve the solubility problem. The concentration ranges over which a linearity of response for bo th eleutherosides could be validated were improved significantly by this ad justment. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.