Abstract:

Objective: To establish a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for separation and
determination of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, hyperoside, quercetin, naringenin, kaempferol and apigenin in Potentilla
discolor bunge. Methods: The separation of seven flavonoids and organic acids was performed on Phenomenex C18 column
(150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution. The mobile phase was a mixture of methanol and acetic acid (pH 3.0)at
a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and the UV detection wavelength was 350 nm. Results: Baseline separation of chlorogenic acid,
caffeic acid, hyperoside, quercetin, naringenin, kaempferol and apigenin was achieved within 20 min. The calibration curves
of the seven components showed linear relationships (r > 0.999 5). The average recoveries were in the range of 84.61%–
104.06% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 4.77%. Conclusion: The optimal extraction conditions for
seven flavonoids and organic acids from Potentilla discolor Bunge were determined as follows: ethanol concentration, 80%;
solid-to-liquid ratio, 1:50 (g/mL); ultrasonication power, 160 W; and ultrasonication time, 20 min. One gram of Potentilla
discolor Bunge contained 121.5 μg of chlorogenic acid, 60.5 μg of caffeic acid, 127.2 μg of hyperoside, 108.6 μg of
quercetin, 294.0 μg of naringenin, 61.1 μg of kaempferol, and 114.0 μg of apigenin as determined by this method.

Key words: high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Potentilla discolor Bunge, flavonoids, organic acids