Extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography of hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactive components in a Chinese herb Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method has been developed and validated for the quality evaluation of a Chinese herb Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Danshen root) by chemical fingerprinting analysis. Meanwhile a novel sample preparation procedure has been designed which can simultaneously extract both the hydrophilic and lipophilic components for a single run LC system. Comparing to the conventional HPLC method, UPLC showed many advantages including reduced run time, less solvent consumption and increased peak capacities. Using the established method, 20 target components were detected based on the retention times and on-line UV spectra by referencing to the available standards and reported data. Eleven crude drug samples from different sources were evaluated using the UPLC fingerprints. The developed method proved practicable and reliable for quality control of herbal products with multivalent components in a complicated matrix.