Comparative study of chemical constituents of rhubarb from different origins.

A comparative study of the pharmacologically active constituents of 24 rhubarb samples, which were identified genetically as Rheum tanguticum, 3 intraspecies groups of R. palmatum and R. officinale, was conducted using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. Thirty compounds belonging to anthraquinones, anthraquinone glucosides, dianthrones, phenylbutanones, stilbenes, flavan-3-ols, procyanidins, galloylglucoses, acylglucoses, gallic acid, and polymeric procyanidins were analyzed quantitatively. The drug samples derived from the same botanical source showed similar chromatographic profiles, and the comparable specific shape that appeared in the 10-directed radar graphs constructed on the basis of the results of quantitative analysis indicated the relationship between chemical constituent patterns and genetic varieties of rhubarb samples.