Chromatographic analysis of Fritillaria isosteroidal alkaloids, the active ingredients of Beimu, the antitussive traditional Chinese medicinal herb

Bulbus Fritillariae derived from plants of various Fritillaria species is the most commonly used antitussive traditional Chinese medicinal herb and is called Beimu. Herbs derived from similar and/or different species of Fritillaria are also used in Japan and Turkey as traditional or folk medicines. Isosteroidal alkaloids are the main bioactive ingredients in Fritillaria species. As the contents and structure types of these bioactive alkaloids vary in different Fritillaria species, quality control of these active principles in herbal Beimu is very important to ensure its safe and effective clinical use. This review describes the development of chromatographic analyses for the simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of the main bioactive Fritillaria isosteroidal alkaloids in herbal and biological samples. The recently developed direct HPLC–evaporative light scattering detection method is the most simple, selective and sensitive assay, and is readily used as a suitable quality control method for the analysis of the active principles of herbal Beimu.