LC Fingerprinting for Assessment of the Quality of the Lipophilic Components of Salvia miltiorrhiza

With an appropriate method of fingerprinting, and by analysis of three marker compounds, the factors affecting the lipophilic components in Salvia miltiorrhiza were investigated in this work. A standard fingerprint of the lipophilic components of root periderm was constructed at 270 nm and a limited number of marker compounds were proposed on the basis of ten batches of S. miltiorrhiza from Shangluo GAP (good agricultural practice) base. The absolute amounts of these components in S. miltiorrhiza were seriously affected by production area, harvest time, root disease, root color, and root diameter. Relative amounts were, however, consistent under different conditions. Accumulation of some components peaked in August and was significantly accelerated by diseases such as root rot and nematodiasis. The red roots were the best quality, compared with sable and yellowish roots. The quality of roots of different diameter was variable. For example, among seven groups of samples it was best for roots of diameter < 0.2 cm and between 0.5 and 0.8 cm, and worst for root heads and fibrous roots. In conclusion, the quality of the lipophilic components of S. miltiorrhiza was comprehensively assessed.