Profiling and characterisation by liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry of the chlorogenic acids in Gardeniae Fructus

The chlorogenic acids of Gardeniae Fructus used traditionally as a Chinese herbal medicine (zhizi) have been investigated qualitatively by liquid chromatography/multi-stage mass spectrometry (LC/MS(4)). Twenty-nine chlorogenic acids were detected and twenty-five characterised to regioisomer level on the basis of their fragmentation, twenty-four for the first time from this source. Assignment to the level of individual regioisomers was possible for three caffeoylquinic acids, three dicaffeoylquinic acids, three sinapoylquinic acids, four caffeoyl-sinapoylquinic acids, two feruloyl-sinapoylquinic acids, one p-coumaroyl-sinapoylquinic acid, three (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroylquinic acids, two (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroyl-feruloylquinic acids, one (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroyl-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and one (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroyl-caffeoyl-feruloylquinic acid. Six (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroyl-caffeoylquinic acids were detected and two were tentatively assigned as 3-caffeoyl-4-(3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroylquinic acid and 3-caffeoyl-5-(3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroylquinic acid. The (3-hydroxy, 3-methyl)glutaroyl residue modifies the mass spectral fragmentation behavior and elution sequence compared with the chlorogenic acids that contain only a cinnamic acid residue(s). Fourteen of these twenty-nine chlorogenic acids have not previously been reported from any source.