Abstract

Cnidium monnieri Cusson (Umbelifera) is an annual herbs, widely grows in all parts of China except Xizang, and their fruits mainly contains coumarins. The chemical distinction as well as their variation in Cnidium fruits from different geographical sources was determined using reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis. The concentrations of these coumarins were as follows: osthole 0.091～2.467%; imperatorin 0.014 ~ 0.877%; bergapten 0.030 ~ 0.168%; isopimpineline 0.074 ~ 0.287% and xanthotoxin 0.023 ~ 0.181%. These results indicated that chemical composition and the amounts of coumarins in Cnidium fruits from different geographic sources varied significantly. The Cnidium fruits that grow in low latitude regions (such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu province) contain higher osthole and linear furancoumarins; The Cnidium fruits that grow in high latitude regions (such as Heilongjiang province) almost have no osthole and linear furancoumarins, but contain other type coumarins; The Cnidium fruits that grow between high latitude and low latitude not only contain osthole and linear furancoumarins, but also contain other type coumarins, they are the transition types from low latitude regions to high latitude regions.

Key words: Chemical diversity, Cnidium monnieri Cusson, coumarins, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis.