Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of 17 bioactive components in the fibrous roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by a combinatorial Ultra performance liquid chromatography- Ultraviolet characteristic spectra analysis

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Chinese common name Danshen) is one of the most commonly used traditional medicinal materials for treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China which was abundant with bioactive ingredients such as diterpenoid quinones and hydrophilic phenolic acids. With the continuous increasing demand, cultivation has become the major form of resource supply. However, S. miltiorrhiza tends to form amounts of fibrous roots under drought and sandy environment with less research and utilization. Herein, a sensitive and reliable combinatorial ultra performance liquid chromatography analysis by integrating the characteristic ultraviolet spectra and optimum absorption wavelengths based on external standards was developed. And seventeen bioactive ingredients in the fibrous roots of S. miltiorrhiza were simultaneous accurate qualitative and quantitative with ideal separation and stability. Analysis show that the chemical constituents of the fibrous roots were similar to those in the roots and rhizomes of S. miltiorrhiza. Moreover, 12 out 17 tested constituents's contents in the fibrous roots were even higher than the latter. In conclusion, the work developed an efficient and precise combinatorial quantitative analysis method and provided insight into the chemical constituents and development of the fibrous roots of S. miltiorrhiza.

Automated summary

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) is a commonly used traditional medicinal material in China for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, containing bioactive ingredients such as diterpenoid quinones and hydrophilic phenolic acids. A new efficient quantitative analysis method was developed for the fibrous roots of S. miltiorrhiza, revealing similarities in chemical constituents to roots and rhizomes, with some constituents even higher in content than the latter.