High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Acidic Saponins of Ginseng and Related Plants

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the glucuronide saponin (ginsenoside-Ro) and malonyl-saponins (malonyl-ginsenosides-Rb₁, -Rb₂, -Rc and -Rd) in ginseng root was investigated. Separation of these acidic saponins as well as the major neutral saponins could be achieved by HPLC either on an octadecyl silica column or on an amino column by using aqueous acetonitrile containing KH₂PO₄ (the former column) or H₃PO₄ (the latter column) as the mobile phase. By means of this procedure, the contents of acidic and neutral saponins of Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolium (American ginseng), P. japonicus collected in South Kyushu, P. notoginseng (Sanchiginseng) and Panax species collected at central Nepal were determined and compared.