Quantitative Determination and Variation Trends of Six Alkaloids in Crude and ProcessedCorydalis Yanhusuo

A convenient, sensitive, and accurate analytical method using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet-visible detection was investigated for the determination of 6 alkaloids (tetrahydrocoptisine, protopine, tetrahydropalmatine, coptisine, corydaline, and palmatine) in crude and processed samples of corydalis yanhusuo. The results revealed that the content of the alkaloids in crude corydalis yanhusuo samples varied from those of the processed samples. The concentrations of tetrahydrocoptisine, protopine, tetrahydropalmatine, coptisine, and corydaline were reduced after processing; however, the concentration of palmatine increased after processing. This method was established using a C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase, a mixture (19:81) of acetonitrile and a 0.6% solution of acetic acid (pH 3.5, adjusted using triethylamine), was used to elute the target compounds in the isocratic elution mode. The solvent flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, the column temperature was 35°C, and the detection wavelength was 280 nm. All of the calibration curves exhibited good linearity with R >0.9999. The inter- and intra-day precisions for all of the investigated components ranged from 0.10–2.64% RSD, and the recoveries were in the range of 97.3–102.5%. The validated method provides a new solution for analyzing the contents of crude and processed samples of corydalis yanhusuo.