Determination of 10 ginsenosides in Panax ginseng of different harvest times based on HPLC fingerprints and principal component analysis

A combinative method of HPLC fingerprinting and quantitative determination was successfully applied to monitor dynamic accumulation of ginsenosides in five-year-old Panax ginseng roots from different harvest times. The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved on a C18 column with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 1mmol center dot L-1 KH2PO4 buffer solution at 203nm. The result indicated that the contents of total ginsenosides showed significant variations, and a decrease tendency appeared in the growth period of the fifth year.