High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Separation and Quantitative Analysis of Ginsenosides Using a Polyvinyl Alcohol-Bonded Stationary Phase

Method development for the certification of a ginsenoside calibration solution via liquid chromatography with absorbance and mass spectrometric detection

The research presented here describes the development of two analytical methods for use in the certification of a ginsenoside calibration solution Standard Reference Material (SRM) 3389 consisting of seven ginsenosides: Rg1, Re, Rf, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd. The new methods utilized the liquid chromatographic (LC) separation of ginsenoside mixtures with absorbance detection (UV) and mass spectrometry (MS). Ginsenosides Rb3, Rg2, Rg3, Rh1, and Rh2 were evaluated for use as internal standards for LC/MS measurements. The 12 ginsenosides were baseline resolved by gradient elution LC/UV, with an initial mobile phase composition of 22% acetonitrile and 78% water, flow rate of 0.7 mL/min, and column temperature of 25 °C. The work presented here includes a detailed investigation into the optimization of the chromatographic conditions to minimize measurement biases that result from unresolved constituents. Temperature and mobile phase composition are known to play a significant role in column selectivity; however, flow rate is expected to influence primarily the separation efficiency and detection sensitivity. In the current study, column selectivity changed with changes in flow rate and the relative retention of ginsenoside Rg2 and Rh1 changed as the flow rate increased from 0.6 mL/min to 1.0 mL/min.

Isolation and Identification of Saponins from the Natural Pasturage Asterothamnus centrali-asiaticus Employing Preparative Two-Dimensional Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography/Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography

Asterothamnus centrali-asiaticus, a kind of characteristic shrub abundant in grassland and desert areas, has been used as forage fodder for camels and goats in Central Asia, and this plant also plays a critical role in the maintenance of desert grassland ecosystems as a result of its tolerance to poor soils and sand burial. However, its chemical composition has been rarely reported. In this study, phytochemical investigation of this pasturage was performed and three new triterpenoid saponins (1-3) were isolated together with nine known triterpenoid saponins (4-12) using preparative two-dimensional reversed-phase liquid chromatography/hydrophilic interaction chromatography (2D RPLC/HILIC). Their structures were elucidated via diverse spectroscopic analyses, including infrared (IR) spectrometry, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS), and one-dimensional (1D) and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). All isolated triterpenoid saponins (1-12) were reported from this genus for the first time, and they were further evaluated for their cytotoxicity against four cancer cell lines (A549, HepG2, MGC-803, and MFC), which indicated that compound 11 showed potent cytotoxicity against the HepG2 cell line, with an IC50 value of 6.85 μg/mL.

Isolation and analysis of ginseng: advances and challenges

Ginseng occupies a prominent position in the list of best-selling natural products in the world. Because of its complex constituents, multidisciplinary techniques are needed to validate the analytical methods that support ginseng's use worldwide. In the past decade, rapid development of technology has advanced many aspects of ginseng research. The aim of this review is to illustrate the recent advances in the isolation and analysis of ginseng, and to highlight new applications and challenges. Emphasis is placed on recent trends and emerging techniques.

Multiple linear regression and artificial neural network retention prediction models for ginsenosides on a polyamine-bonded stationary phase in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The development of retention prediction models for the seven ginsenosides Rf, Rg1, Rd, Re, Rc, Rb2, and Rb1 on a polyamine-bonded stationary phase in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is presented. The models were derived using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) using the logarithm of the retention factor (log k) as the dependent variable for four temperature conditions (0, 10, 25, and 40 degrees C). Using stepwise MLR, the retention of the analytes in all the temperature conditions was satisfactorily described by a two-predictor model wherein the predictors were the percentage of ACN (%ACN) in the mobile phase and local dipole index (LDI) of the compounds. These predictors account for the contribution of the solute-related variable (LDI) and the influence of the mobile phase composition (%ACN) on the retention behavior of the ginsenosides. A comparison of the models derived from both MLR and ANN revealed that the trained ANNs showed better predictive abilities than the MLR models in all temperature conditions as demonstrated by their higher R(2) values for both training and test sets and lower average percentage deviation of the predicted log k from the observed log k of the test compounds. The ANN models also showed excellent performance when applied to the prediction of the seven ginsenosides in different sample matrices.

Retention behavior of ginsenosides on a poly(vinyl alcohol)-bonded stationary phase in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The influences of the organic component of the mobile phase and the column temperature on the retention of ginsenosides on a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) bonded stationary phase operated under hydrophilic interaction chromatographic mode were investigated. The retention of the ginsenosides was found to increase with increasing amount of acetonitrile (MeCN) in the mobile phase, which is typical of hydrophilic interaction chromatographic behavior. It was also found that the retention of the analytes was highly affected by the type of the organic modifier used. Aqueous MeCN (75-90%) gave the most satisfactory retention and separation of ginsenosides Rf, Rg1, Rd, Re, Rc, Rb2 and Rb1 compared with aqueous methanol, isopropyl alcohol or tetrahydrofuran at the same composition levels. The effects of the different types of organic modifiers on the retention of the analytes were attributed to their solvent strength and hydrogen-bond accepting/donating properties. The effect of temperature on the retention of ginsenoside on the PVA-bonded phase was assessed by constructing van't Hoff plots for two temperature ranges: subambient (273-293 K) and ambient-elevated (298-333 K) temperatures. van't Hoff plots for all analytes were linear at the two temperature intervals; however, the slopes of the lines corresponding to ginsenosides Rg1 and Re were completely different from those for the rest of the analytes especially in the subambient temperature range. Enthalpy-entropy compensation (EEC) studies were conducted to verify the difference in thermodynamics observed for ginsenosides Rg1 and Re compared with the other analytes. EEC plots showed that Rf, Rd, Rc, Rb2 and Rb1 were possibly retained by the same retention mechanism, which was completely different from that of Rg1 and Re at subambient temperatures. Retention prediction models were derived using multiple linear regression to identify solute attributes that affected the retention of the analytes on the PVA-bonded phase. The mathematical models derived revealed that the number of hydrogen-bond donors and the ovality of the molecules are important molecular properties that govern the retention of the compounds on the chromatographic system.