Chinese J. of Northwest Pharm. 28 (3), 231-235 (2013). Berberis heteropoda Schrank, a Xinjiang special medicinal herb, is a perennial shrub, produced in northwest and southwest China, and is widely used as a herbal TCM drug. It is used for the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, swollen eyes, eczema, etc. For quality control, identification of three alkaloids by TLC of the sample extracts and the standards berberine hydrochloride, palmatine chloride and jatrorrhizine hydrochloride on silica gel with toluene – ethyl acetate – methanol – isopropanol – ammonia 12:6:4:3:1 (determined by investigating three mobile phase systems), detection under UV 366 nm. In addition to optimization of the stationary phase, the developing system and the detection technique, the method was validated by investigating the effects of the sample application volume (2-3 μL), the developing temperature (room temperature) and the relative humidity (42-65 %).

J. of China Pharm. 22 (3), 13-15 (2013). Gushangling Jiaonang capsule is a herbal TCM for post traumatic functional recovery, prescribed to treat muscle atrophy, bone hyperplasia, neck and lumbar diseases, nerve injuries etc. For quality control, HPTLC on silica gel 1) for Paeonia lactiflora Pall., with chloroform – ethyl acetate – methanol – formic acid 200:25:50:1, detection by spraying with 3 % vanillin in sulfuric acid – water 1:200 and heating mildly until the zones are visible in daylight; 2) for Angelica sinensis, with n-hexane – ethyl acetate – 9:1, detection under UV 366 nm; 3) Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge., with chloroform – methanol – water 13:7:2, detection by spraying with 10 % sulfuric acid in ethanol and heating at 105 °C until the zones are visible in daylight.

J. Ethnopharmacol. 160, 164-172 (2015). HPTLC of quercetin in methanolic extracts of aerial parts of Tricholepis glaberrima on silica gel (prewashed with methanol and activated at 110 °C for 10 min) with toluene - ethyl acetate - formic acid 25:20:1. Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 280 nm. The hRF value of quercetin was 48.

J. Planar Chromatogr. 27, 454-459 (2014). HPTLC of (1) asiatic acid, (2) asiaticoside and (3) madecassoside in whole plant of Centella asiatica on silica gel with toluene – ethyl acetate – formic acid 5:5:1 for (1) and n-butanol - ethyl acetate - water 4:1:5 for (2) and (3). Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 600 nm. The hRF values of (1) to (3) were 52, 48 and 45, respectively. Linearity was in the range of 100-1000 ng/zone for (1) to (3). The intermediate precision was below 2 % (n=3) for (1) to (3). The LOD and LOQ were 40 and 100 ng/zone, respectively, for (1) to (3). Recovery for (1) to (3) were between 97.1 and 101.2 %.

J. Planar Chromatogr. 28, 74-82 (2015). HPTLC of two binary mixtures containing (1) omeprazole with (2) ketoprofen (mixture A) and (3) esomeprazole with (4) naproxen (mixture B) on silica gel with chlorofom - ethylacetate 3:7. Quantitative determination by absorbance measurement at 302 nm. The hRF values of (1) to (4) were 21, 49, 22 and 65, respectively. Linearities were between 30 and 300 ng/zone for (1) and (3), between 200 and 2000 ng/zone for (2) and between 500 and 6000 ng/zone for (4). The intermediate intra-day and inter-day precisions were below 2 % (n=3). The LOD and LOQ were 10 and 30 ng/zone for (1) and (3), 30 and 100 ng/zone for (2) and 150 and 500 ng/zone for (4), respectively. Recoveries for (1) to (4) ranged between 98 and 102 %.

Strait Pharm. J. 1, 53-55 (2014). Tiaojing Huoxue Jiaonang capsule is a TCM compound used clinically for the treatment of irregular menstruation, menstrual pain and other gynecological diseases. TLC on silica gel (1) for Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and protocatechuic aldehyde with dichloromethane – acetone – formic acid 60:5:2, detection by spraying with 5 % ferrum trichloride in ethanol and viewing under white light; (2) for Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaert.) Libosch. ex Fisch. et Mey. with petroleum ether (60-90 ˚C) – ethyl acetate 1:1, detection under white light after spraying with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine – ethanol – hydrochloric acid 1:100:10. Quantitative determination of paeoniflorin by HPLC. Applying to real life samples indicated that the method was simple, specific, accurate, reproducible, robust and able to be the better alternative for the purpose to that specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010.

J. Planar Chromatogr. 27, 367-371 (2014). TLC of (±)-bupropion on silica gel impregnated with 2 mM Cu(II) and 4 mM L-amino acid 1:2, with acetonitrile - methanol - chloroform 2:1:2. Detection by exposure to iodine vapors. The Cu(II) acetate–amino acid complex allowed efficient enantiomer separations. Four different approaches for impregnating/loading the ligand exchange reagent were evaluated. However, using a solution of Cu(II) acetate as mobile phase additive for the TLC plates impregnated with one of the L-amino acids allowed the best enantiomer separation.

J. Agric. Food. Chem. 63, 2893-2901 (2015). HPTLC of lecithins such as phosphatidylcholine (1) and phosphatidylethanolamine (2) in soybean and sunflower used for chocolate production on silica gel with chloroform - methanol - water - ammonia 30:17:2:1. Detection by dipping into a primuline solution (100 mg of primuline in 200 mL of acetone - water, 4:1). Quantitation by fluorescence measurement at UV 366 nm. The hRF values of (1) and (2) were 30 and 41-43, respectively. Quantitation was also performed by HPTLC-positive ionization electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and by scanning HPTLC-matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Mean LODs ranged from 8 to 40 mg/kg for HPTLC-FLD, 10 to 280 mg/kg for HPTLC-ESI and 15 to 310 mg/kg for HPTLC-FLD-ESI-MS.