Comparative Study of the Quantitative Determination of Lappaconitine in Aconitum septentrionale by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Spectrophotometry

Methods for quantification of total alkaloids in terms of lappaconitine in Aconitum septentrionale Koelle, a plant raw material that is the main source for producing the antiarrhythmic drug allapinin, were comparatively analyzed. The examined methods could be used interchangeably although the spectrophotometric method was more labor- and time-intensive. The HPLC method was more selective. It was concluded that HPLC was more advantageously used than spectrophotometry for quantitative determination of total alkaloids in terms of lappaconitine in A. septentrionale .