Determination of saponins and alkaloids in Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) by high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection

The roots of Caulophyllum thalictroides, traditionally used for the treatment of menstrual difficulties and as an aid in childbirth, contain saponins, which are considered to be responsible for the uterine stimulant effects, together with teratogenic alkaloids. An HPLC method has been developed whic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytochemical analysis 2003-01, Vol.14 (1), p.1-7
Main Authors: Ganzera, M., Dharmaratne, H. R. W., Nanayakkara, N. P. D., Khan, I. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alkaloids
Alkaloids - analysis
blue cohosh
Caulophyllum - chemistry
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
evaporative light scattering detection
High performance liquid chromatography
Mass Spectrometry
Molecular Structure
Plant Roots - chemistry
saponins
Saponins - analysis
Scattering, Radiation
Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
Triterpenes - analysis
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Summary:The roots of Caulophyllum thalictroides, traditionally used for the treatment of menstrual difficulties and as an aid in childbirth, contain saponins, which are considered to be responsible for the uterine stimulant effects, together with teratogenic alkaloids. An HPLC method has been developed which permits the determination of the triterpene saponins in the plant and also the separation of four alkaloids. The best results were obtained with a C‐12 stationary phase using ammonium acetate buffer (pH 8.0) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Owing to their low UV absorbance, the saponins were detected by evaporative light scattering, whereas the alkaloids were monitored by UV at 310 nm. The identities of the compounds were confirmed in an LC‐MS experiment. Different plant samples and commercial products have been analysed using the described method, and remarkable qualitative and quantitative variations were revealed. Comparing the daily uptake of total saponins, a difference of greater than 100‐fold was observed within the various products; the alkaloid content on the other hand was more uniform. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0958-0344
1099-1565
DOI:10.1002/pca.666