Variation of Escin Contents and Components in Aesculus Seeds among Different Origins

Total contents and components of escin were studied in seeds of Aesculus chinensis, A. chinensis var. chekiangensis and A. wilsonii collected from 8 origins. Results showed that total escin content ranged from 71.43 mg·g to 112.69 mg·g,with the highest in origin of Mabian, Sichuan Province and the lowest in origin of Kangxian, Gansu Province. It was suggested that escin content was correlated with geological zone to a certain extent. A.wilsonii was richer than that of Aesculus chinensis in escin content.The proportion of 4 types of escin varied dramatically among different origins. Component A in Mabian and Cangwang origin from Sichuan Province, Kangxian origin from Gansu Province, Mianxian origin from Shanxi Province and Xixia origin from Henan Province reached 35%～41% of total escin that was much higher than that of other components, while components D was below 15% that was only 1/3 of component A. Sum of Component A and C was nearly equal in Enshi, Hubei Province and Sangzhi, Hunan Province origins, which accounted for 58% of the total content. Lin'an origins from Zhejiang Province only got (17.17%) of component A while holding much higher proportion of component D. Statistical analysis also approved that the proportion of escin was correlated to geological zone.