OBJECTIVETo establish the control substance of plant drug (CSPD) of Coptis chinensis Franch. and its proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints for the purpose of original identification.

METHODSThe CSPD and their 1H NMR and HPLC fingerprints of Coptis chinensis were obtained by standardized procedure. Chemical components were isolated from the CSPD by silica gel column chromatography. By elucidation of their structures, the assignments of the characteristic signals in fingerprints could be achieved. RESULTS; The 1H NMR and HPLC fingerprints of the samples from various sources had wonderful reproducibility and characteristic features. Furthermore, five main compounds were isolated from CSPD and their structures were authenticated by spectral analysis as palmatine chloride, berberine chloride, epiberberine chloride, coptisine chloride, and jatrorrhizine chloride, respectively. The 1H NMR and HPLC fingerprints of the CSPD of Coptis chinensis showed mainly the characteristic signals of the berberine-type compounds isolated in this work.

CONCLUSIONThe 1H NMR and HPLC fingerprints of the CSPD of Coptis chinensis exhibit the structures and total composition of the main active constituents in it, and can be used for its original identification and quality evaluation.