An improved high performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantification of solasodine

An improved isocratic high performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantification of solasodine, an alternative precursor for the commercial production of steroid drugs, is reported. A highly sensitive and reproducible assay for solasodine quantification was achieved using a base-deactivated C-8 column and an acidic mobile phase. Sharp symmetrical peaks were obtained and a linear relationship between the amount of solasodine injected and the area under the peak was achieved. The method allows the simultaneous identification and quantification of solasodine in plant tissue samples at amounts as low as 0.40 μg, and reports the actual amounts of solasodine in the sample rather than the “solasodine equivalents” as determined by previously published methods. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.