Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Medicinal Materials Quality of Marsdenia tenacissima

Purpose To study the effects of the contents of chlorogenic acid, total phenolic acids, total saponins and tenacissoside H in Marsdenia tenacissima under different drying methods.

Methords Five treatments were set up: dry in the shade, 30 ℃ oven drying, dry in shade 10 d+50 ℃ oven drying, 50 ℃ oven drying and 80 ℃ oven drying. The chlorogenic acid and tenacissoside H were determined by HPLC, and the total phenolic acid and total saponins were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry.

Results The phenolic acid content was the highest under the dry in shade. And the second was under 50 ℃ oven drying. The content was lowest under other three methods. Drying methods had the greatest influence on the content of chlorogenic acid. There were significant differences during 5 treatments. Among them, the highest content of chlorogenic acid under 10 d dry in shade + 50 ℃ drying was 8 times than the content lowest under 80 ℃ oven drying. The highest levels of total saponins in dry in the shade 10 days+ 50 ℃ oven drying and dry in the shade. The tendency of tenacissoside H was increasing with the temperature up.

Conclusions We should according to the needing to choose a suitable method to dry the M. tenacissima. If the total phenolic acid and chlorogenic acid as the main reference index, should choose dry in the shade or low temperature drying. If the tenacissoside H and total saponins of indicators, using high temperature rapid drying method to dry.