关键词: 决明子, 蒽醌, 抗氧化活性, 高效液相色谱法

Abstract: In this study, anthraquinones were obtained by the hydrolysis of Semen Cassiae with a mixture of 20% sulfuric acid and chloroform. By using an orthogonal array design method the optimal conditions for extraction were determined as follows: extraction temperature 60 ℃, liquid-to-solid ratio 1:30 (g/mL), 20% sulfuric acid-to-chloroform ratio 0.6, and extraction time 3 h. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assays were employed to determine the in vitro antioxidant activity of total anthraquinones extracted from Semen Cassiae from different regions. The results showed that the antioxidant capacity of total anthraquinones of Semen Cassiae from India was far lower than that of Semen Cassiae from any other selected region. The antioxidant activity of total anthraquinones extracted from Semen Cassiae from different growing regions was ranked as follows: Hebei > Henan > Anhui > Jiangxi > Shandong > India. The present study also determined 6 anthraquinone components in Semen Cassiae by HPLC. Results showed that the contents of both chrysophanol and aurantio-obtusifolin in Semen Cassiae from all regions from India and Henan were not lower than 0.2% and 0.08%, respectively, which reached the levels stated in the Pharmacopeia of China.

Key words: Semen Cassiae, anthraquinones, antioxidant activity, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)