High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Triptonide, Triptriolide, and Triptophenolide in Ethyl Acetate Extract of Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F

Abstract

To monitor the composition of extracts of the Chinese herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), a rapid, selective, and sensitive reverse phase HPLC method was developed for the quantitative determination of some of the major or active diterpenoid components, triptonide (1), triptophenolide (2), and triptriolide (3). Ethyl acetate extracts of TwHF were extracted with chloroform, filtered, and then purified by passage through mixed columns of silica gel and alumina B for 1 and 2, and an alumina B cartridge for 3. The columns were eluted with ethyl acetate: chloroform, 1: 9, for 1 and, 3 :7, for 2. The alumina B cartridge was washed with ethyl acetate : chloroform, 1 : 9 and then 3 was eluted with ethyl acetate: methanol, 8 : 2.