Abstract: A pre-column derivatization HPLC method for the determination of peimine(P)and peiminine(PE)in Bulbus Fritillariae has been developed. Under the derivatization conditions optimized, the calibration curve is Y1 = -3.83×10³ + 1.33×10⁵X1, r = 0.998, for P and Y2 = -7.86×10² + 6.33×10⁴X2, r = 0.995 for PE, where Y is the peak area and X is the weight of the alkaloid; the average recovery is 98.0% (n = 5, RSD = 2.1%) for P and 101.0% (n = 5, RSD = 4.1%) for PE, the linear range is from 0.504 μg to 3.126 μg for P and from 0.520 μg to 3.328 μg for PE, respectively. Results of the determination of the two alkaloids in several samples of different Fritillaria species from various parts of the country are presented. The results suggest that P and PE are two major chemical constituents in bulbs of different Fritillaria species, and that the method developed is generally applicable to the determination of the hydroxy group on aliphatic fused ring systems without steric hindrance.

Key words: Peimine (P), Peiminine (PE), Derivatization, HPLC