HPLC simultaneous determination of arbutin, chlorogenic acid and 6′-O-caffeoylarbutin in different parts ofVaccinium dunalianumWight

Arbutin (1), chlorogenic acid (2) and 6′-O-caffeoylarbutin (3) are three major components in Vaccinium dunalianum Wight with various promising bioactivities. A reliable, reproducible and accurate method for simultaneous and quantitative determination of 1–3 is developed by RP-HPLC analysis. This method should be appropriate for the quality assurance of unprocessed and processed materials of V. dunalianum. The contents of 1–3 in different parts of V. dunalianum from different origins were analysed. The content of 3 was much higher than those of 1 and 2, accounting for up to 31.76% in the dried leaf buds. Moreover, the leaf buds, flower buds and leaves showed a tendency towards higher contents of 1–3 than the other plant parts.