Simultaneous determination of eight coumarins in Angelica gigas and in various other Angelica species by high performance liquid chromatography and comparative micro-morphology study of Angelica species.

This article outlines the development of a simple and specific analytical method for the quantitative determination of eight coumarin constituents from the methanolic extract of the roots of Angelica gigas. The coumarin constituents present in the roots of Angelica gigas were separated using an acetonitrile (0.1 % acetic acid)-water (0.1 % acetic acid)-reagent alcohol gradient solvent system at a flow rate of 1.0 mL per minute. The HPLC separation was performed using a Phenomenex C12 reversed phase column with detection at 328 nm. The method was successfully used to study the percentage compositions of eight coumarins present in various Angelica species procured from S. Korea. Additionally, this manuscript provides a detailed microscopic account for the authentication of Angelica gigas and compared it with other Angelica species. The microscopic evaluation of plant tissue samples plays a vital role in botanical authentication. The combination of these two methodologies will provide additional tools for the evaluation of various Angelica species.