Determination of six lignans in Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. Fruits and related Chinese multiherb remedies by HPLC

A simple, rapid and specific HPLC method was established for simultaneous determination of six major lignans in Schisandra chinensis and related Chinese multiherb remedies (CMRs) containing this herb. The six lignans were successfully separated on a C18 column by gradient elution using acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase, and detection wavelength was set at 225 nm. The method was validated through the following performance criteria: linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). This assay was successfully used for determination of six lignans in 10 raw herbs collected from different regions in China and five Chinese multiherb remedies. Significant variations were demonstrated in the contents of six compounds in these samples. This HPLC method established is suitable for routine quantitative analysis of S. chinensis and multiherb remedies containing this herb.