Comparative analysis of the chemical constituents of two varieties of Pueraria candollei

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to determine the contents of miroestrol and deoxymiroestrol in the tubers of Pueraria candollei var. mirifica and P. candollei var. candollei. The linear detection ranges were 0.78-25.00 μg/mL for miroestrol and 1.56-25.00 μg/mL for deoxymiroestrol. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.2 and 0.78 μg/mL, respectively, for miroestrol and 0.78 and 1.56 μg/mL, respectively, for deoxymiroestrol. Our results suggest that both varieties of P. candollei can produce miroestrol and deoxymiroestrol and that the developed HPLC method can be applied for quality control of plants and their products.