Using UHPLC and UV-vis Fingerprint Method to Evaluate Substitutes for Swertia mileensis: An Endangered Medicinal Plant

BACKGROUND: Millions of people are killed by viral hepatitis every year in the world, whereas many relevant medicines are too expensive to purchase. Swertia mileensis, a medicinal plant for hepatitis in the system of traditional Chinese medicine, has been vanishing gradually because of overexploitation. OBJECTIVE: To find substitutes of S. mileensis and reduce the cost of purchasing drugs for hepatitis patients, the similarity of phytochemical constituents between S. mileensis and other three Swertia species was compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Both ultra high performance liquid chromatographies and ultraviolet-vis fingerprints of four Swertia species were developed. Methanol extracts of the stems and leaves were used as samples to establish the fingerprint. The calibration curve was drawn for quantitative analysis of swertiamarin. The data of ultra high performance liquid chromatographies were evaluated statistically using similarity analysis and principal component analysis. RESULTS: The result shows a significant difference at area of 204–290 nm in the ultraviolet fingerprint. Swertiamarin, the only one common peak, was defined in chromatographic fingerprints of four Swertia species. The quantitative analysis suggested that the highest concentration of swertiamarin is in S. davidii. The similarity indexes between different samples were almost under 0.60. In the principal component analysis, separate points not only represent the distinction among different species, but also perform chemical discrepancies in content between stems and leaves of one same species. CONCLUSIONS: S. angustifolia, S. davidii, and S. punicea are not suitable as substitutes of S. mileensis because of their remarkable differences in entirety and local part. In order to address issues about substitutes and high cost of purchasing drugs, more studies need to undertake. SUMMARY: The UHPLC fingerprint method indicated the significant difference on chemical ingredients in four plants from Swertia. Swertiamarin is the unique common compounds for four plants, which exist are in leaves of S. davidii with the highest content. The obvious diversity in four plants was displayed from comprehensive point of view though similarity assay and PCA analysis. The UV fingerprint method offsets the defect that the UHPLC fingerprint reflected messages of secoiridoid glycosides only. Abbreviation used: UHPLC: Ultra high performance liquid chromatography, UV-vis: Ultraviolet-vis, HBV: Anti-hepatitis virus, DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, PCA: Principal component analysis, D-GaIN: D-Galactosamine, BCG: Bacille Calmette-Guerin, LPS: Lipopolysaccharide