Quantitative determination of rutin, quercetin, and adenosine in Flos Carthami by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the separation and determination of adenosine, rutin, and quercetin in Flos Carthami. The CE separation was achieved using 50 mmol L-1 sodium tetraborate solution (pH 9.7) containing 18% methanol as the running buffer, with an applied voltage of 24 kV and detection at 210 nm. The contents of these constituents in an ethanol-water extract of Flos Carthami could be easily determined within 45 min. The RSDs of the contents of these constituents were within 5.2% (n = 5). The contents of adenosine, rutin, and quercetin were determined in Flos Carthami from ten sources. Differences in contents were observed between various sources, which may be attributed to the growth environment of the plant, the time of harvesting, the storage conditions, and the drying process. The current method may serve as a valuable tool for the quality control of Flos Carthami.