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Updated: May 28, 2026

HPLC Coupled with Chemical Fingerprinting for Multi-Pattern Recognition for Identifying the Authenticity of Clematidis Armandii Caulis
Published on: November 11, 2022
Development of a simple chromatographic method for distinguishing between two easily confused species, Hedyotis
Clara B S Lau1, Ling Cheng, Bobby W H Cheng
1Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. claralau@cuhk.edu.hk
Abstract:
Hedyotis diffusa Willd. and Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam. are closely related species of Rubiaceae family and they can be easily confused. Although previous reports have been found in which ultraviolet spectrum, convolution spectrometry or X-ray diffraction are reported to be used for distinguishing between the two species, these methods require specialised equipment. Hence, this study aims to develop a simple chromatographic method for the purpose. Our results illustrate the use of a thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) profile to differentiate between the two species, with a blue zone appearing at around an R(f) of 0.36 in H. corymbosa but not in H. diffusa. The compound corresponding to this blue zone was later found to be hedyotiscone A. LC-MS with multiple reaction monitoring was used as a tool to identify and quantify hedyotiscone A in the test samples. In conclusion, a quick and simple TLC assay was conducted to distinguish between the two species H. diffusa and H. corymbosa.
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