Analysis of dencichine in Panax notoginseng by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with ethyl chloroformate derivatization

Dencichine (beta-N-oxalyi-L-alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid) is a haemostatic agent present in well-known traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Panax notoginseng, as well as other Panax species. It is also a reported neurotoxic agent found in Lathyrus sativus (grass pea seed) and cycad seeds. A method was developed for quantitative determination of the non-protein amino acid, dencichine, in plant samples of P. notoginseng and the adventitious roots directly from the explants of P. notoginseng after derivatization with ethyl chloroformate (ECF) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). L-2-chlorophenylalanine was used as an internal standard. Calibration curves were linear (r(2) = 0.9988, n = 6) in the range of 10-800 mu g/ml for dencichine. Limit of detection and quantification for dencichine were 0.5 mu g/ml and 2 mu g/ml, respectively. This rapid and specific method may be applied to the quantification of dencichine in complex medicinal plants and their products. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.