TLC identification and assay methods of Gushudan capsules

Objective To establish the methods for TLC identification and content determination of Gushudan capsules.Methods Epimedii Folium,Drynariae Rhizoma,Cnidii Fructus and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix in Gushudan capsules were identified by TLC using three different developing solvents.Icariin,naringin and osthole were determined by HPLC.The analysis was carried out on a Diamonsil C18 column(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm)with a gradient elution of A(acetonitrile)and B(0.1% formic acid). Results The spot on the thin layer plate was clear,round and without interference.Quantitative analysis of HPLC showed that the calibration curve was linear over the range of 10.6169.6 mg·L~-1 for icariin,5.9394.88 mg·L~-1 for naringin and 6.83109.3 mg·L~-1 for osthole.The average recovery was between 98.2% and 100.2% with RSD between 1.2% and 2.2%(n=6). Conclusions The method is simple,specific and reliable for the quality control of Gushudan capsules.