Microwave-assisted extraction and fingerprint studies of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography.

In order to choose an appropriate extraction method, samples of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill were extracted by different methods and it was found that microwave-assisted extraction gave the best results. The contents of schisandrin, schisantherin, deoxyschizandrin, and r-schizandrin of 10 samples collected from different regions in China were determined by HPLC. The chromatograms of ten samples were used to establish the fingerprints of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill and two methods based on HPLC and GC were applied to them simultaneously. The fingerprints consisted of 18 common peaks obtained by HPLC and 17 common peaks obtained by GC, which showed good stability and repeatability with RSD less than 3% for retention time. The fingerprints are suitable for identifying and differentiating samples by geographical origin and can be used for quality control.