Ultrasonic Extraction RP-HPLC Determination of Artemisinin in Artemisia Annua L. from Different Origins

RP-HPLC was used to determine the content of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L. and to evalueate the difference of contents of artemisinin from different origins. The sample was ultrasonically extracted with petroleum ether for 10 min, and separated on Kromasil C18 (150 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, using a mixture of methanol and acetate buffer solution of pH 5.8 mixed in the ratio of 62 to 38 as mobile phase. UV-detection was made at the wavelength of 260 nm. Linear relationship between values of peak area and mass concentration was obtained in the range of 10-40 mg·L-1, with detection limit (3s/k) of 4.03×10-3mg·L-1. It was shown that: ① great differences of contents of artemisinin were found among samples of Artemisia annua L. from various provinces, with the highest content of 0.222% in sample from the city of Huaihua in Hunan province; ② contents of artemisinin of samples from various regions in a same province were also found to be different and ③ as compared with the wild-grown Artemisia annua L. samples, the content of artemisinin in artificially cultivated samples was much higher.