OBJECTIVEThe four major active compositions, namely esculetin, lactucin, lactucopicrin and chlorogenic acid in seed, stem and root of the Cichorium glandulosum Boiss. et Huet that planted in Xinjiang have been quantified by HPLC.

METHODHPLC method was used, with Inertsil ODS-SP column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 pm). The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The column temperature was set at 32 degrees C. The mobile phase was methanol--0.2% formic acid, 0-40 min, methanol 30%--70% gradients. Injection volume was 5 microL. The detecting wavelength were 256, 350, 299 and 229 nm, respectively.

RESULTThe percentage recoveries were 98.2%, 99.57%, 100.50%, and 99.46% for chlorogenic acid, esculetin, lactucin, and lactucopicrin, respectively. The correlation coefficients (r) were 1.000, 0.9989, 0.9998, 1.000 and RSD were 1.6%, 1.5%, 0.77%, 2.0% for chlorogenic acid, esculetin, lactucin, and lactucopicrin, respectively. The contents of the chlorogenic acid, esculetin, lactucin and lactucopicrin were 0.0048, 0.0043, 0.6789, 0.7520 mg x g(-1), respectively in the root, and 0.0710, 0.1890, 0.2396 and 0.0520 mg x g(-1) in the seeds of C. glandulosum, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThis method was sensitive, rapid and simple, with good linearity, recovery and reproducibility.