Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine four naphthoquinones in roots of Arnebia decumbens from ten different origins by HPLC and a comparison was made for the difference of contents in different origins.Acetyl shikonin,isobutyryl shikonin,deoxyshikonin and 2-methylbutyryl shikonin were used as reference substances.Agilent-C₁₈ (250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm) was used for chromatographic separation.The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.05% formic acid solution (70∶30) with isocratic elution.The flow rate was 1 mL/min,the detection wavelength was 275 nm and the column temperature was 30  ℃.The four components in A.decumbens can be separated well,and the linearity,repeatability and recovery were obtained.There were differences in the contents of four components in 10 species.It may be related to the species and harvesting time of the plant.Cause of the high contents of acetyl shikonin and 2-methylbutyryl shikonin in A.decumbens,it was suggested that A.decumbens can be used as an alternative resource for natural anti-tumor components and their derivatives,so as to provide reference for the exploitation and utilization of medicinal materials.

Key words: Arnebia decumbens, HPLC, acetyl shikonin, isobutyryl shikonin, deoxyshikonin, 2-methylbutyryl shikonin