CHROMATOGRAPHIC FINGERPRINTS OF SEED EMBRYO OF NELUMBO NUCIFERA GAERTN BY REVERSED-PHASE AND HYDROPHILIC INTERACTION LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) is the most common method to construct a fingerprint analysis for quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, many polar compounds in TCM nearly have no retention at RPLC mode. Therefore, it is inadequate for the quality control of TCM. In this study, an approach was proposed to develop chromatographic fingerprints by means of RPLC and hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) to gain more chemical information about polar compounds and weakly polar compounds from seed embryo of Nelumbo nucifera GAERTN (SENN). The two chromatographic methods demonstrated good precision, repeatability, and stability, with relative standard deviations of <2% for retention time and 7% for peak area. Different chemical information regarding the same sample can be obtained by two chromatographic modes. Similarity analysis of 19 samples showed a fair consistence, but the similarities of samples in HILIC mode were relatively lower than in RPLC mode. Combination use of the two chromatographic fingerprints can comprehensively and properly reveal the quality characteristics of the SENN.