Botanical origin and chemical constituents of commercial Saposhnikoviae radix  and its related crude drugs available in Shaanxi and the surrounding regions

AbstractSaposhnikoviae radix (SR) is described in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia as a crude drug derived from the root ofSaposhnikovia divaricata Schischkin (Umbelliferae). According toFlora of China, the root ofPeucedanum ledebourielloides K. F. Fu is used as a regional substitute for  SR. Therefore, we surveyed the botanical origin of the drug used in China, especially Shaanxi and the surrounding regions, through nucleotide sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA. As a result, several samples from Shaanxi (陝西) and Shanxi (山西) provinces were i dentified asPeucedanum ledebourielloides. To prevent this substitute from being distributed as genuine  SR, we developed a thin-layer chromatography analysis condition to enable a specific compound of this species to be easily detected. The specific compound was identified as xanthalin, based on 1D- and 2D-NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry data. The established TLC conditions were as follows —extraction solvent,n-hexane; applied volume, 5  µL; chromatographic support, silica gel; developing solvent,n-hexane:ethyl acetate:acetic acid (20:10:1); developing length, 7  cm; detection, UV (365 nm);Rf value, 0.4 (blue fluorescence; xanthalin).
Source: Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research