Objective: To develop a quantitative determination of Forsythia suspensa and to provide scientific basis for its quality control.
Method: By HPLC, the separation was performed on a Zorebax Eclipse XDB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) at 25 degrees C using a isocratic elution of acetonitrile-water (containing 0.4% glacial acetic acid, 15:85). The detection wavelength was 330 nm.
Result: The calibration curve showed a good linearity (r = 0.9998) within test range of 0.202-1.515 microg. And the average recovery was 98.54% with RSD 1.1%. The content range of forsythoside A in 11 batches of Forsythiae Fructus was 0.200%-1.681%.
Conclusion: The developed method is simple, accurate, specific, and with good repeatability. It is suitable for quality evaluation of Forsythiae Fructus.