Determination of Four Anthraquinones in Xanthophytum Attopvensis Pierre by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of four anthraquinones in Xanthophytum Attopvensis Pierre. The effects of several factors such as the pH, concentration of the running buffer and the separation voltage were investigated to find the optimum conditions. The optimum conditions were an electrolyte containing 15 mmol L−1 borate, at pH 9.64 and 17.5 kV applied voltage. The four analytes were completely separated within 5 min. Regression equations gave linear relationships between the peak area of each analyte and the concentration. The recoveries ranged from 96.5% to 106.2%. The method was successfully used in the analysis of extracts from Xanthophytum Attopvensis Pierre with a relatively simple extraction procedure, and the assay results were satisfactory.