Electrochemical detection of honokiol and magnolol in traditional Chinese medicines using acetylene black nanoparticle-modified Electrode.

Introduction - Honokiol and magnolol are the active components of Magnolia officinalis, which is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. Their simultaneous analysis is, therefore, important for the quality control of the product. Objective - To establish a simple, sensitive and rapid electrochemical method for the simultaneous detection of honokiol and magnolol based on the remarkable enhancement effect of acetylene black nanoparticle (AB). Methodology - The AB-modified electrode was prepared via solvent evaporation. The electrochemical response of honokiol and magnolol was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The simultaneous detection was performed with differential pulse voltammetry. The method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Results - The linear range for honokiol is 0.5-300 µg/L, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 0.25 µg/L (9.4 × 10 mol/L). For magnolol, the linear range is 10-250 µg/L, and the LOD is 5 µg/L (1.88 × 10 mol/L). Conclusion - The new method was successfully used to determine honokiol and magnolol in a traditional Chinese medicine called Ageratum liquid. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]