Comparison on Anthraquinone Content of Cassia spp. Seeds from Fujian

Anthraquinone content of Cassia spp. seeds from Fujian was determined using UV visible spectrophotometry and HPLC.Indices for the seed’s medicinal quality were analyzed. The results showed that the anthraquinone composition of the seeds varied significantly from sample to sample. For instance, the contents of aurantio-obtusin and rhein in C. obtusifolia were 1.383 and 0.557 mg·g-1, respectively. Chrysophanol in C.tora was the highest among all tested species at 1.310 mg·g-1. The contents of C.bicapsularis and C. occidentalis were 1.850 and 1.310 mg·g-1, respectively. Aurantio-obtusin, rhein,emodin, chrysophanol and physcion were not found in the seeds of C. alata, C.nictitans and C.rotundifolia. The correlation coefficient between rhein and chrysophanol was 0.809, while that between rhein and aurantio-obtusin was 0.749. The variation coefficient of among different Cassia species was the greatest at 0.302, while that of aurantio-obtusin was 0.278.