Abstract:

Quality evaluation and component determination of the Chinese herbal medicine Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (Duhuo) in Guanshan Region of Eastern Gansu were conducted to provide references for future research and utilization of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix germplasm resources. HPLC fingerprinting of 13 batches of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix from this region was established using similarity evaluation software, and quality assessment was performed through hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The contents of eight components in both primary and lateral roots of Angelicae Pubescentis Radix were simultaneously determined, including columbianetin, angelol B, angelol A, bergapten, columbianetin acetate, osthole, and columbianadin. The 13 batches showed 18 common peaks (with 8 identified components) and similarity indices ranging from 0.911 to 0.997. HCA classified the samples into four categories, and the result was consistent with PCA findings. OPLS-DA screened five dominant components. The eight identified components exhibited differential distribution between primary and lateral roots: osthole and angelol A were significantly higher in lateral roots, whereas columbianetin was more abundant in primary roots. There was no significant difference for isoimperatorin. The developed analytical method integrating HPLC fingerprint profiling with chemometrics and multi-constituent determination proved to be robust and reproducible, offering scientific support for quality standardization of locally sourced Angelicae Pubescentis Radix.

Key words: Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (Duhuo), fingerprint, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), multi-component determination