Fingerprinting Analysis of the Extracts from Fu Zhi San by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Ultraviolet and Evaporative Light Scattering Detection

A high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-UV-ELSD) method was firstly developed to establish chemical fingerprinting of Fu Zhi San (FZS) and to simultaneously determinate its five major constituents, including baicalin, ferulic acid, ginsenosides Rg , Re and Rb The analysis was performed on a AlltechC₁₈ (5 mum, 250 mm x 4.6 mm) with a mixture of acetonitrile and water containing 0.1% acetic acid, and the major constituents were authenticated by comparing their retention times and UV spectra with those of reference compounds. The proposed method was used to analyze twelve extracts from FZS and report data with precision, stability and reproducibility. The results suggest that the described fingerprinting method can simultaneously characterize main chemical constituents from FZS. The proposed method allows obtaining chemical fingerprint and quantitative data of multiple constituents of FZS in one injection and therefore can be widely used as an approach for the comprehensive quality control of TCM.