Integrated Multiplatform Analysis and Separation of Thirteen Flavonoids and Anthraquinones in Seven Medicinal Cassia Species.

Background: Cassia (Family: Fabaceae) species are a large group of flowering plants rich in bioactive anthraquinone and flavonoids used in botanical supplements and nutraceuticals.

Objective: A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) method was developed and validated for separating and quantifying 13 anthraquinone and flavonoids. These compounds were further confirmed using an LC-based electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) method in the leaves and flowers of selected Cassia species.