Simultaneous quantification of five triterpenoid saponins in Clematis L. spp. by high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

A simple and accurate method involving high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of five triterpenoid saponin components in Clematis L. spp. for the first time. The analysis was performed on a Zorbax SB-C(18) column and gradient elution with acetonitrile and water with 0.1% formic acid was utilised. All the calibration curves exhibited good linear characteristics with correlation coefficients in the range from 0.9979 to 0.9997. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were less than 0.152 and 0.506 microg, respectively. The overall recoveries for the five analytes were between 91.3 and 99.5%. A total of 10 samples from Clematis L. spp. were analysed under optimised conditions and the chemical profiles provided information for the identification of botanical origin, the development of new medicinal resources and chemotaxonomic investigation.