A practical method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of twelve anthraquinone derivatives in rhubarb by a single-marker based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography and chemometric analysis

Abstract

Anthraquinone derivatives are the major bioactive components in rhubarb. Unfortunately, due to the lack of standard substances for quantitative analysis, the full quality control of rhubarb has been limited. This study aimed to solve the difficulty of the lack of anthraquinone glycosides for quantitative analysis. A simple but very applicable analytical method for simultaneous quantification analysis of 12 anthraquinone derivatives in rhubarb by a single-marker based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography was developed. The UPLC method was performed on a Waters Acquity BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) with a binary gradient mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol and 0.1% (v/v) aqueous phosphoric acid. Relative calibration factors of other components were calculated with emodin as the internal reference substance. The new QAMS method was successfully applied to the quantitative determination of 12 anthraquinone derivatives in rhubarb with good chromatographic separation. The test results showed that the difference in anthraquinone glycoside contents in these samples was obvious; a quantitative analysis of anthraquinone derivatives will contribute significantly to improving the quality control of rhubarb. In conclusion, the devised technique is suitable for the quality control of rhubarb.