Abstract: In this study,betaine in the extract of Lycium barbarum L.leaf from Qaidam Basin was identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).The chromatographic analysis conditions were as follows:using Hypersil NH2 (250×4.6 mm,5 μm) column with 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (85%) and 0.1% formic acid in water (15%) as mobile phases.The flow rate was set at 0.9 mL/min,and column temperature was maintained at 30 ℃,UV detection wavelength was 195 nm.Betaine showed good linearity within the range of 0.54.5 μg.The average recovery was 101.14% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 0.30%.The content of betaine in the extract of L.barbarum leaf from Qaidam Basin was no less than 10%.The developed HPLC method was simple,rapid,reliable as well as reproducible.It can be used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of betaine in L.barbarum leaf from the Qaidam Basin and hence to control its quality effectively.

Key words: Lycium barbarum L. leaf, high performanceliquid chromatography, betaine, content determination