Fragmentation study of iridoid glycosides including epimers by liquid chromatography‐diode array detection/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and its application in metabolic fingerprint analysis of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis

A high‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detection/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC‐DAD/ESI‐MS) method was applied to the characterization of ten iridoid glycosides in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, a traditional Chinese medicine. During the process of structural elucidation, two groups of isomers including two epimers were structurally characterized and differentiated according to their distinctive fragmentation patterns which were closely related to their isomeric differentiations. Subsequently, the major compounds were purified by multi‐dimensional chromatography and semi‐preparative HPLC and the structure identification was confirmed with NMR techniques. The major fragmentation pathways of iridoid glycosides in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis obtained through the MS data were schemed systematically, which provided the best sensitivity and specificity for characterization of the iridoid glycosides especially the isomers so far. Based on the fragmentation patterns of iridoid glycosides concluded, seven major iridoid glycosides were characterized in rat plasma after intravenous administration of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.