Analysis of terpene compounds in Cimicifuga foetida L. by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

An RP-HPLC method with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) was developed for the analysis of terpene compounds in traditional Chinese medicine. Actein, 27-deoxyactein and cimicifugoside in a typical Chinese medicine of Cimicifuga foetida L. were quantitatively analyzed. Comparing ELSD with UV detection under the same eluent conditions, the former showed better sensitivity and a more stable baseline. The ELSD responses versus sample size of three terpenes and those in double logarithmic were investigated. The good calibration curves in double logarithmic coordinator for actein, 27-deoxyactein and cimicifugoside were obtained. Three solutions for the extraction of the terpene compounds were also compared, the results indicated that methanol–water (80:20) is the best among them. The method was applied to quantify actein, 27-deoxyactein and cimicifugoside in Cimicifuga foetida L. from Hunan, China. It was shown that ELSD is an effective detection method for the analysis of the non-volatile terpenes in traditional Chinese medicine.