Determination of five bioactive constituents in traditional chinese medicinal preparation Shandanshaoyao Tang by high performance liquid chromatography

A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for the det ermination of danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechualdchyde, (+)-cat echin, and paeoniflorin in traditional Chinese medicinal preparation Shanda nshaoyao Tang was established. Danshensu, protocatechuic acid, protocatechu aldehyde, and (+)-catechin were separated on a Diamonsil C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm I.D.) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol-acetic acid-wate r (14: 0.2: 86, v/v), and detected by UV at 280 nm. Paeoniflorin was separated using the same column but with a mobile phase co nsisting of methanol-acetic acid-water (25: 0.2: 75, v/v), and detected by UV at 230 nm. The linear calibration ranges were 24.1-241.0 mug/mL, 6.1-61. 0 mug/mL, 2.5-25.4 mug/mL, 8.3-83.0 mug/mL and 224-2235 mug/mL for danshens u, protocatechuic acid, protocatechualdehyde, (+)-catechin, and paeoniflori n, respectively. The relative standard deviations (n=5) and average recoveries (n=5) were 1. 45% and 91.4% for danshensu, 1.54% and 100.1% for protocatechuic acid, 0.89 % and 95.3% for protocatechualdehyde, 1.78% and 93.6% for (+)-catechin, and 0.68% and 95.3% for paeoniflorin, respectively. The contents of these five bioactive constituents in Shandanshaoyao Tang we re successfully determined by the proposed method.