Separation procedures for the pharmacologically active components of rhubarb

Rhubarb, as an important Chinese medicine, has many functions owing to containing anthraquinone derivatives. The analysis of anthraquinone derivatives in Chinese rhubarb is reviewed. The analytical techniques include high performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography and so on. The main operation parameters in every technique were given. The structures of anthraquinone derivatives and the classification of Chinese rhubarb were summarized too. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.