Simultaneous HPLC determination of three main components in Curcuma longa L.

Objective:To establish an HPLC method for simultaneous determination of curcumin,demethoxycurcu- min and bidemethoxycurcumin of Curcuma longa L.The components of 33 raw herbs of Curcuma longa L.from dif- ferent places of China were investigated.Method:An Hypersil ODS_2 column (250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm) ,with ace- tonitrile-0.5% acetic acid(44:56) as mobile phase.The flow rate was 1.0 mL·min~(-1) and column temperature was maintained at 35 ℃.The detection wavelength was set at 425 nm for acquiring chromatograms.Results:The calibration curves of curcumin,demethoxycurcumin and bidemethoxycurcumin were linear in the range of 0.001- 1.59 μg(r=0.9998),0.001-1.49 μg(r=0.9999 ),0.001-1.55 μg (r=0.9999),respectively;The average recoveries(n=9) were 98.2% ,97.4% and 98.0%,respectively.Conclusion:The very important findings are that curcumin,demethoxycurcumin and bidemethoxyeurcumin of Curcuma longa L.will vary greatly in different loca- tions.