HPLC Fingerprint of Gastrodia elata

Objective To establish HPLC fingerprint for evaluating and controlling the quality of Gastrodia elata. Methods HPLC Analysis and similarity calculation were used for establishing fingerprint chromatogram and classifying 18 different original samples; LC-MS and pure compound comparisons were employed for the fingerprint peaks identification. Results HPLC Fingerprint chromatogram was cons- tructed with 27 fingerprint peaks, 17 of which were common fingerpring peaks and 12 main compounds were identified. According to the similarity to standardize herbal medicine, 18 samples could be classified three groups, Anhui-Henan, Shanxi-Sichuan, and Yunnan habitats. The two critical points were 0.80 and 0.58 for correlation coefficient and 0.88 and 0.73 for cosine values. Conclusion The selected fingerprint peaks are diagnostic for G. elata and the constituted HPLC fingerprint chromatogram could be used for identifying different habitats and served as a powerful tool for further quality control of G. elata.