Study on the Quality Control Method of Radix Aconitum Vilmoriniani

OBJECTIVE  To establish an HPLC method for the content determination and to enhance the quality control method for Radix Aconitum Vilmoriniani.

METHODS  Qualitative identification was carried out by microscopic identification and thin-layer identification, and the quality of the medicinal materials was assessed by moisture, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, and leachate. The content of yunaconitine and vilmorrianine A in raw materials were determined by HPLC method.

RESULTS  The microscopic characteristics of Radix Aconitum Vilmoriniani were distinct, with clear spots and good resolution in thin-layer chromatography. The moisture content of the raw materials ranged from 6.35% to 10.65%, the total ash content from 2.16% to 4.81%, the acid-insoluble ash content from 0.0649% to 0.8032%, and the leachate content from 37.10% to 52.38%. The linearity correlations for yunaconitine and vilmorrianine A were well within the range of 4~100 µg·mL⁻¹. The content of yunaconitine varies between 0.0106% and 0.0554%, while the content of vilmorrianine A ranged from 0.0051% to 0.0502%. The combined content of yunaconitine and vilmorrianine A was between 0.0239% and 0.0950%.

CONCLUSION  This method is reasonable and reliable for the quality control of Radix Aconitum Vilmoriniani.