Abstract: The method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed to determine 23 polyphenolic components in propolis. The ethanolic extractive of propolis (EEP) from Shandong(SD) and Yunnan(YN) Provinces respectively were analyzed. The separation was performed on ZORBAX Eclipse XDB C18 column (4.6mm×150mm, 5μm) by gradient elution. The mobile phase consisted of methanol with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution at the flow rate of 1.0mL/min. The detection wavelengths were 256 and 280nm. The injection volume was 20μL, and the column temperature was maintained at 35℃. The result shows that mixed reference materials and EEPs could be separated well. By comparing the retention time and ultraviolet absorption spectrum, twenty compounds were detected in EEP of Shandong, and fourteen compounds were detected in EEP of Yunnan. Similarity of spectra between extractives of Shandong and Yunnan was 0.417 and 0.499 at 256 and 280nm, respectively. The chemical compositions of porpolis from Shandong and Yunnan were significantly different. The differences of climate and vege-tation may be the main reasons for the difference, since Shandong and Yunnan locate at temperate and tropic zones respectively.

Key words: RP-HPLC, propolis, ethanolic extractives, polyphenolic components