Studies on Quantitative Determination of Total Alkaloids and Berberine in Five Origins of Crude Medicine “Sankezhen”

The roots of Berberis plants are widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine called “Sankezhen”, having the activities of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and the ingredients are alkaloids. This work aims to study and compare the total alkaloids and individual alkaloid (berberine) contents in roots and stems from five origins of Berberis plants (Berberis soulieana Schneid., B. henryana Schneid., B. triacanthophora Fedde, B. gagnepainii Schneid. and B. bergmanniae Schneid.) and provides some references for resource and quality evaluation of the medicine. Acid dye colorimetry and high-performance liquid chromatography were used in the determination. The results showed that the contents for the total alkaloids in root and stem samples were in the range of 1.60–4.72% and 0.76–2.70%, while those of the berberine were 0.70–2.92% and 0.23–1.07%. With higher contents of the total alkaloids and berberine, the roots of B. soulieana, B. gagnepainii and B. bergmanniae were good sources of “Sankezhen”. Meanwhile, the contents were also high in stems of the three plants, indicating that the stems were likely to be alternative sources of “Sankezhen” after further research. As the results of precision, stability and recovery tests shown, the methods were simple, rapid and reliable, and provided valuable basis for quality evaluation and new resource investigation of “Sankezhen”.