Fingerprint analysis of Flos Carthami by pressurized CEC and LC

A fingerprint analysis of Flos Carthami was performed using a standardized capillary electrochromatography (CEC) procedure. This procedure was first used to establish the electrochromatographic profile of genuine Flos Carthami from Tacheng, Xinjiang, China. This Flos Carthami fingerprint was then used to identify and assess the consistency of raw herbs from different sources in China. The study of a limited number of samples from ten different sources demonstrated a reasonable consistency among their CEC fingerprints relative to that of the genuine sample. Using this technique, we can readily distinguish the fingerprint of Flos Carthami from that of Stigma Croci, a possible substitute in traditional Chinese medicine, and Flos Hemerocallis, a commercial adulterant. A method based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described to establish fingerprints of Flos Carthami simultaneously. The fingerprints obtained with HPLC consist of 21 common peaks within 65 min while 43 common peaks obtained with CEC. CEC showed better performance on fingerprinting of hydroxysaffloryellow A and its neighboring peaks, which contained more chemical information than that of HPLC. It was proven that CEC could be a feasible and effective method for development of fingerprint of TCM based on the comparison with HPLC.