Simultaneous characterization and quantification of 17 main compounds in Rabdosia rubescens by high performance liquid chromatography

Rabdosia rubescens is a healthy herbal tea and well-known Chinese medicinal herb. To evaluate the quality of R. rubescens from China, a high performance liquid chromatography method with dual-wavelength detection was developed and validated. The method was successfully applied for the simultaneous characterization and quantification of 17 main constituents from four different cultivation regions in China. Under optimal conditions, analysis was performed on a Luna C-18 column and gradient elution with a solvent system of acetonitrile and 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid–water at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and wavelength of 220 nm and 280 nm. All standard calibration curves exhibited good linearity (r(2) > 0.9992) within the test ranges. The precision was evaluated by intraday and interday tests, which revealed relative standard deviation values within the ranges of 0.57–2.35% and 0.52–3.40%, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 96.37–101.66%. The relative standard deviation values for stability and repeatability were < 5%. The contents of some compounds were low and varied with different cultivars. The proposed method could serve as a prerequisite for quality control of R. rubescens materials and products.