[HPLC fingerprints in seed of Celosia argentea].

For preferable authentication and regulation of material quality of Celosia argentea, HPLC fingerprints of different habitats were studied. Analysis was carried out on a Hypersil ODS2 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) with acetonitrile-0.1% glacial acetic acid as the mobile phase, and eluates were detected by an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). The similarity evaluation system for chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine ( Version 2004 A) was applied to analyses the similarity of the fingerprint of diverse habitats. The similarity results were verified by SPSS. The chromatographic profiles of the samples from different regions were very similar. HPLC fingerprints of Semen C. argentea 12 common peaks and each peak in the fingerprint was well separated under the chromatographic condition above. The different habitats of C. argentea can be grouped to two types: the middle region and the south region. The chemical constituents of C. argentea vary with different habitats so selection of material habitat is very important for quality control of C. argentea. The fingerprint with high individuality and specificity could be applied in the identification and quality control of the material of C. argentea.