Smashing Tissue Extraction and HPLC Determination of Active Saponins from Different Parts of Panax notoginseng

ObjectiveTo optimize the extraction technology used for extracting active saponins from the roots, fibrous roots, basal part of stems, root verrucae, fruits, flowers, stems, and leaves of Panax notoginseng based on the contents of ginsengsides Rg1, Rb1, and notoginsengside R1 as evaluation indexes.MethodsDifferent parts of P. notoginseng were extracted by smashing tissue extraction (STE), ultrasound extraction, and reflux extraction. The contents of ginsengsides Rg1, Rb1, and notoginsengside R1 in 24 kinds of extracts were determined by HPLC-UV. Hypersil C18 column (200 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) and acetonitrile-warter (20:80 for 30 min→45:55 for 18 min→70:30 for 2 min→80:20 for 10 min→100:0) were used; UV detector was set at 203 nm; The flow rate was set at 1.0 mL/min.ResultsSTE was the most efficient technology with the highest yield of active saponins among the three tested extraction technologies.ConclusionSTE is a fast, effective, and economical method to extract the active saponins from different parts of P. notoginseng. It could significantly shorten the extraction time and simplify the determination of the pre-processing work on identifying P. notoginseng. Such quick and effective extraction provides a powerful tool for analyzing P. notoginseng in the future.