Retention behaviour of products extracted from oriental medicine formulations in high-performance liquid chromatography on octadecyl acrylate-modified silicas

Simplified extraction of ginsenosides from American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) for high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet analysis

Four methods were tested for extraction and recovery of six major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) found in roots of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): method A, sonication in 100% methanol (MeOH) at room temperature (rt); method B, sonication in 70% aqueous MeOH at rt; method C, water extraction (90 degrees C) with gentle agitation; and method D, refluxing (60 degrees C) in 100% MeOH. After 0.5-1 h, the samples were filtered and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV. A second extraction by methods C and D was done, but 85-90% of ginsenosides were obtained during the first extraction. Lyophilization of extracts did not influence ginsenoside recovery. Method D resulted in the highest significant recoveries of all ginsenosides, except Rg1. Method C was the next most effective method, while method A resulted in the lowest ginsenoside recoveries. Method B led to similar recoveries as method C. All methods used one filtration step, omitted time-consuming cleanup, but maintained clear peak resolution by HPLC, and can be used for quantitative screening of ginsenosides from roots and commercial ginseng preparations.

Determination of major ginsenosides in Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) using high-performance liquid chromatography

In order to determine the active ingredients in root extracts of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), a gradient HPLC method involving UV photodiode array detection was applied to separate and quantify simultaneously the ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf and Rg1. All ginseng saponins were baseline-resolved under the selected conditions, and the detection limits were 1.0 microg/mL or less. The method has been applied to analyse ginsenosides extracted from American ginseng cultivated in both Wisconsin and Illinois. Ginsenosides Re and Rb1 were the two main ginseng saponins in the root. The amounts of Re in 5- and 7-year Illinois-cultivated samples were greater than those found in ginseng cultivated for 3 or 4 years in Wisconsin, whereas the levels of Rb1 were greater in the younger Wisconsin samples.

Chromatographic behaviour of selected steroids and their inclusion complexes with beta-cyclodextrin on octadecylsilica stationary phases with different carbon loads

Retention and separation studies of selected estrogens, progestogens and their inclusion complexes with beta-cyclodextrin were conducted using two C18 HPLC columns with different carbon loads. The difference in carbon load between investigated octadecylsilica packing materials was about 50%. The mobile phases were composed of a 30% v/v acetonitrile-water mixture without and with addition of beta-cyclodextrin at a concentration of 12 mM. The experimental data revealed that retention of the steroids was significantly reduced on the column with the lower carbon load. Moreover, it was found that this column offers better separation power and shorter analysis time at the temperatures studied. However, the calculated values of the retention factor ratios (k0(mMCD))/k(12mMCD)) of the steroids were similar for both columns investigated. This observation suggests that the stationary phase structure appears to have little effect on the formation of host-guest complexes if the complexation process is localised to the chromatographic mobile phase. From a practical point of view, when the mobile phase is modified with beta-cyclodextrin, the separation of the steroids is strongly influenced by temperature. The best chromatographic conditions were determined for the separation of multicomponent samples on the column with lower carbon load. A possible retention mechanism for components of interest in the presence of macrocyclic additives is discussed.