Resultant compound from sublimation test for Gentianae Radix in Japanese Pharmacopoeia was 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural

Atsushi Tsuge; Yuto Goto; Sayaka Masada; Michiho Ito

doi:10.1007/s11418-024-01802-5

Resultant compound from sublimation test for Gentianae Radix in Japanese Pharmacopoeia was 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural

J Nat Med. 2024 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s11418-024-01802-5. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Atsushi Tsuge¹, Yuto Goto¹, Sayaka Masada¹, Michiho Ito²

Affiliations

¹ National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 210-9501, Japan.
² National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 210-9501, Japan. michiho_ito@nihs.go.jp.

PMID: 38502471
DOI: 10.1007/s11418-024-01802-5

Abstract

Gentianae Radix, an herbal medicine, has been used as a gastrointestinal drug in Japan. In the Japanese Pharmacopoeia 18th Revision, the sublimation test is specified as an identification test for Gentianae Radix. The compound obtained in this sublimation test was believed to be gentisin, a xanthone family compound. However, the compound we identified using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR was 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (5-HMF). The same compound was found to be a sublimate of Gentianae Scabrae Radix and Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix, belonging to the same genus as Gentianae Radix. These results indicate the necessity to revise the identification test for Gentianae Radix to a more unique method.

Keywords: 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural; Gentianae Radix; Genus Gentiana; Sublimation test.

Publication types

Letter

Grants and funding

JP22mk0101220j/Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development