Curcuma belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. It is widely distributed in China and some of which, such as Ezhu, Yujin and Jianghuang, are used as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for a long time. However, the raw materials from Curcuma are difficult to distinguish their origins because of their similar morphological characters, though their pharmacological activities and chemical characteristics are obviously different. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative analysis of these materials is very important for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the herbs. Sesquiterpenoids and curcuminoids are usually considered as the biological active components in Curcuma and used as markers for quality control of Curcuma. However, simultaneous determination of these compounds has not been achieved. In addition, volatile oils in Curcuma are reported to have antioxidation activity, but the active components are still unkown. Therefore, in this study, a thin layer chromatography (TLC) method was developed for discrimination of four species of Curcuma and simultaneous determination of sesquiterpenoids and curcuminoids in Curcuma. Then the antioxidant activity of volatile oils and raw materials were determined and compared by TLC coupled with DPPH coloration. The active components were also identified by GC-MS or UPLC. The thesis is consisted of four chapters. Chapter 1 is advances of study on chemical components, quality control and antioxidant activity of Curcuma, as well as a brief introduction of TLC. Chapter 2 is focused on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in four species of Curcuma using twice development TLC. The four species of Curcuma were easily discriminated based on their characteristic TLC profiles, and eight compounds, including five sesquiterpenoids and three curcuminoids, were simultaneously determined. Chapter 3 is the evaluation on antioxidant activity of volatile oils and raw materials from the four species of Curcuma using TLC coupled with DPPH coloration. The active components were identified by GC-MS or UPLC. Chapter 4 is a summary of this study. In summary, a simple and reliable TLC method using twice development was developed for rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of four species of Curcuma. The antioxidation activity of volatile oils and raw materials from Curcuma was determined by TLC with DPPH coloration, and the antioxidant components were identified using GC-MS or UPLC. The developed TLC method can be used as an economical alternative method for routine quality control of Curcumа. Key words : Curcuma, thin layer chromatography (TLC), curcuminoids, sesquiterpenoids, volatile oils, antioxidation, DPPH

四種薑黃屬藥用植物是臨床常用中藥材,分別入藥作莪術、鬱金、薑黃, 在我國廣為分佈,用藥歷史悠久,實際上各藥用植物藥效卻有所差異,彼此既 有聯繫的同時又有區別,但因基源相近,性狀類似,導致“一物二用”、混用 的問題也由來已久。然而,目前的品質控制方法,通常只針對其中的倍半菇類 或薑黃素類化合物,不足以全面反應藥材品質狀況。另外,已報導薑黃素類化 合物具有一定的抗氧化活性,而其揮發油類成分抗氧化活性研究較少,對其抗 氧化作用機制與物質基礎尚不明確。因此,本研究採用薄層色譜技術,應用特 征色譜鑒別四種薑黃屬藥用植物,并對其中的薑黃素類以及倍半菇類成分同時 進行測定。隨後結合生物自顯影技術,評價藥材及其揮發油成分的抗氧化活 性,揭示其作用物質基礎。 全文共分四章:第一章為概述,包括四種薑黃屬藥用植物的化學成分、品 質控制和抗氧化活性研究進展,以及薄層色譜法的簡介:第二章為定性定量分 析,採用二次展開薄層色譜方法,針對四種薑黃屬藥用植物的根莖、塊根中大 極性的薑黃素類和小極性的倍半菇類成分同時進行了分析和比較。第三章為抗 氧化活性評價,採用 DPPH 顯色薄層技術,直觀的表現了各基源藥材及其揮發 油成分的抗氧化活性,並結合 GC-MS、UPLC 方法,鑒定活性部位中的有效成 分,初步揭示了其作用的物質基礎。第四章為總結與討論。 研究表明:運用二次展開薄層色譜方法,可同時分析大極性薑黃素類化合 物及小極性倍半菇類化合物,所獲得的各基源藥材的薄層特征圖譜可快速,直 觀、有效地鑒別四種薑黃屬藥用植物,同時定量分析比較了各藥材中 8種化合 物的含量,為薑黃屬藥材的基源鑒定和品質控制提供依據。運用 DPPH 顯色薄 層技術,簡捷、經濟、顯著地識別各基源藥材的抗氧化活性的部位,同時評價 各基源藥材的抗氧化活性強弱。結合 GC-MS、UPLC 色譜技術,進一步分析確 證各基源藥材及其揮發油中抗氧化活性部位的物質基礎,可有效指導藥材深度 研究與開發。 關鍵字:薑黃屬、薄層色譜、薑黃素、倍半菇、揮發油、抗氧化、DPPH