RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To establish a quality control method of Rhei Radix et Rhizome (RRR) by fingerprint and simultaneous determining eight components by quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS). METHODS: An HPLC method was set up. Symmetry C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) was used. Methanol-0.1% phosphoric acid was used as gradient mobile phase. The flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1. The column temperature was 30℃ and detection wavelength set at 254 nm. Eleven batches of RRR were determined and a common mode of fingerprint maintained at established. A method was developed for QAMS to determine gallic acid, catechin, emodin-8-glucoside, aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion in RRR. Rhein was selected as internal reference: the relative correction factors (RCF) of other seven components to rhein were calculated. The contents of the eight components in ten batches of RRR were determined by both external standard method and QAMS. The QAMS method was evaluated by comparison of its assay results with that of external standard method. RESULTS: There were 35 common peaks in the fingerprints often batches RRR, eight of them were identified as gallic acid, catechin, emodin-8-glucoside, aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion. These eight components showed good linear relationship in the range of 0.0624-1.56 μg (r=0.9995), 0.18-4.5 μg (r=0.9998), 0.0288-0.72 μg (r=0.999 9), 0.0198-0.495 μg (r=0.9999), 0.0505-1.2625 μg (r=0.9999), 0.0637-1.5925 μg (r=0.999 9), 0.098-2.45 μg (r=0.9999), and 0.163-4.075 μg (r=0.9999), respectively. The established RCF had good reproducibility. No significant differences were found between the quantitative results of external standard method and QAMS. CONCLUSION: The developed method is accurate, feasible, and can be used for the overall quality control of RRR.