Studies on chemical constituents of Flos Puerariae-Semen Hoveniae medicine pair by HPLC and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Alcoholic liver disease is currently the most clinically concerning liver disease, which occurs from chronic alcohol abuse. Flos Puerariae and Semen Hoveniae have been used to treat alcohol drinking excessively for thousands of years in China. In this study, the ethanol extract of the medicine pair was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. First, the high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprint was established to obtain the overall chromatographic data of its chemical constituents. Next, high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to identify its chemical constituents. Then, the characteristic constituents were simultaneously quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, the chemical constituents that were absorbed into rat plasma were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. As a result, a total of 48 chemical constituents in the medicine pair were detected and identified in vitro. Meanwhile, the content of seven representative constituents, including dihydromyricetin, glycitin, genistin, tectoridin, glycitein, genistein, and tectorigenin were simultaneously determined. Furthermore, a total of 19 chemical constituents were detected in rat plasma after oral administration. In short, the chemical constituents of the medicine pair were initially investigated in this study, which will lay the foundation for the discovery of its pharmacodynamic substances in further works.     

Separation and identification of moxifloxacin impurities in drug substance by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

In this paper,a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry(HPLC-UV/FTICRMS) method was described for the investigation of impurity profile in moxifloxacin (MOX) drug substance and chemical reference substance.Ten impurities were detected by HPLC-UV,while eight impurities were identified by using the high accurate molecular mass combined with multiple-stage mass spectrometric data and fragmentation rules.In addition,to our knowledge,five impurities were founded for the first time in MOX drug substance.     

Fingerprint analysis and multi-component determination of Zibu Piyin recipe by HPLC with DAD and Q-TOF/MS method

Zibu Piyin recipe (ZBPYR), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is used for curing dementia caused by diabetes. For quality control of ZBPYR, ?ngerprint analysis and qualitative analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode-array detector, and confirmation using HPLC coupled with electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-?ight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) were undertaken. HPLC fingerprint consisting of 34 common peaks was developed among 10 batches of ZBPYR, in which 7 common peaks were identified in comparison with the authentic standards and detected simultaneously. Furthermore, these seven compounds were verified by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS methods. The method can be applied to the quality control of ZBPYR.     

Identification and quantitation of major phenolic compounds from penthorum chinense pursh. by HPLC with tandem mass spectrometry and HPLC with diode array detection

Penthorum chinense Pursh. is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for the treatment of various ailments specially related to liver. Gansu Granule, the medicine made from the extract of P. chinense, has been widely used in the clinical setting. But the information about its active ingredients is lacking. In this paper, the extract of P. chinense was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Among the 27 compounds that were identified based on their mass spectrometry data, ten were reported for the first time from P. chinense. Chromatographic fingerprints generated by high‐performance liquid chromatography by analyzing 21 batches of P. chinense, displayed six common peaks. Finally, four major compounds were identified namely; gallic acid, brevifolin carboxylic acid, 2,6‐dihydroxyacetophenone‐4‐O‐β‐d‐ glucoside, and pinocembrin‐7‐O‐β‐d‐ glucoside. The average content of each compound was 24.58, 109.6, 15.52, and 18.81 mg/g, respectively. In addition, this study also suggests that the qualitative liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and the quantitative high‐performance liquid chromatography analytical methods using monolithic columns are simple, rapid, accurate, and reproducible and have the potential to be used for the comprehensive quality control of P. chinense.     

Screening of analgesic and anti‐inflammatory active component in Fructus Alpiniae zerumbet based on spectrum–effect relationship and GC–MS

Fructus Alpiniae zerumbet is widely used in Guizhou province as a miao folk herb with anti‐inflammatory, analgesic, protection against cardiovascular diseases, antihypertension and antioxidant activities. To further investigate the chemical material basis, the spectrum–effect relationship was established using gray relational analysis between the chromatographic fingerprint and its bioactivities. Herein, the fingerprints of essential oils from Fructus Alpiniae zerumbet (EOFAZ) from various sources were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and the analgesic and anti‐inflammatory bioactivities were investigated using the mouse model of acetic acid‐induced writhing test and dimethylbenzene‐induced mouse ear edema test. Finally, 17 common peaks were identified from nine batches of A. zerumbet, by comparison with the standard mass spectra in Nist2005, Wiley275 library. Meanwhile, the results showed significant analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effects in all of the different sources of EOFAZ. In particularly, peak 1 (α‐pipene), peak 3 (β‐pinene), peak 9 (camphor) and peak 16 (α‐cadinol) might be the main bioactive ingredients for analgesic and anti‐inflammatory activities. The model of the spectrum–effect relationships of EOFAZ was successfully discovered, which provided a novel platform for finding the bioactive components, a theoretical foundation for its further study and helping to establish quality control of Fructus A. zerumbet.     

Quality evaluation of raw and processed Crataegi Fructus by color measurement and fingerprint analysis

Crataegi Fructus and its processed products have been used as a traditional medicine for a long time, and numerous active components are responsible for their curative effects. However, a comprehensive and fast method for the quality control of its processed products is still lacking. In this study, two analytical methods based on color measurements and fingerprint analysis are established. In the color measurements, the color values of the peel and flesh of Crataegi Fructus were evaluated spectrophotometrically. Based on the results, a color reference range was established using percentiles, and the standard color difference value was established using the median color values. Then, the color values of Crataegi Fructus and its processed products were analyzed using Bayes linear discriminant analysis and mathematical functions were built in order to predict the degree of processing. Moreover, high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint analysis was performed on a Hibar C₁₈ column, and a high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint pattern was obtained, from which nine peaks were identified. Chemometric methods were successfully applied to differentiate raw and processed Crataegi Fructus.     

Study on chemical constituents and fingerprints of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry

The chemical constituents from Phellodendron amurense Rupr. were characterized systematically by ultra-performance liquid chromatography—quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry method for collecting mass spectrometry data, and the fingerprints method was established, providing reference for its quality control. The chromatographic column was ACQUITY UPLC BEH-C₁₈ (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and the compounds from P. amurense Rupr. were identified by Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software, reference substance, retention time, mass spectrometry fragmentation pattern and database retrieval. Meanwhile, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry fingerprint methods of P. amurense Rupr. and Phellodendron chinense Schneid. were established by using the similarity evaluation system of chromatographic fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine (2012 edition), and the differences were analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis methods. A total of 105 compounds were identified, including 102 alkaloids, two phenolic acids, and one lactone compound. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry fingerprint method was established with ideal precision, stability and repeatability, and 12 quality differential markers were recognized between the above two herbs. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method can be used for qualitative analysis of the constituents of Phellodendron amurense Rupr., providing reference for clarifying the material basis and promoting the clinical precision medication and quality evaluation of P. amurense Rupr.     

Phytochemical analysis of traditional Chinese medicine using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly considered to operate due to the synergistic effects of all the major and minor components in the medicines. Hence sensitive and comprehensive analytical techniques are needed to acquire a better understanding of the pharmacological basis of the herb and to enhance the product quality control. The present review mainly focuses on the phytochemical analysis of TCMs using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) are the two commonly used ion sources. Triple quadrupole, ion trap (IT), Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers are used as on-line analyzer. The relationship between structural features and fragmentation patterns should be investigated as thoroughly as possible and hence be applied in the on-line analysis to deduce the structures of detected peaks. Characteristic fragmentation behaviors of the reference standards, as well as information regarding polarity obtained from retention time data, on-line UV spectra, data from the literature and bio-sources of the compounds allowed the identification of the phytochemical constituents in the crude extracts. Although a mass spectrometer is not a universal detector, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with multistage mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS(n)) technique was still proved to be a rapid and sensitive method to analyze the majority of the many constituents in herbal medicines, particularly for the detection of those present in minor or trace amounts. The methods established using HPLC-MS techniques facilitate the convenient and rapid quality control of traditional medicines and their pharmaceutical preparations. However, the quantitative analysis is not the topic of this review.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis in quality control of traditional Chinese medicines

Separation techniques with high efficiency and sensitive detection have been widely used for quality control of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). High-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis are commonly used to separate various components in TCMs. Ultraviolet detection, fluorescence detection, evaporative light-scattering detection, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance can be applied to separation techniques for qualitative and quantitative analysis of TCMs. The development of quality control for TCMs based on quantitative and qualitative analysis from 2000 to 2007 are reviewed; the fingerprint technique is also discussed due to its broad application in the quality control of TCMs. Prospects for further research based on our primary results are also discussed.     

Novel glycerol dialkanol triols in sediments: transformation products of glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether lipids or biosynthetic intermediates?

A glycerol dialkanol triol, similar in structure to glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers but devoid of the carbon atoms of one of the two glycerol termini, has been identified in Messinian sediments (~6 Ma) and characterised using quadrupole ion trap and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.     

Fingerprint and multicomponent quantitative analysis for the quality evaluation of Sibiraea angustata leaves by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS combined with chemometrics

Sibiraea angustata leaves, known as a traditional Tibetan medicine, have been specially used in the treatment of indigestion and obesity. In the study, a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a diode array detector (DAD) was established to solve the problem of lacking quality standard of S. angustata leaves, including the fingerprint analysis and quantification of six characteristic components. The analytical method was validated for linearity, repeatability, stability, recovery, and specificity. Seventeen raw samples and 1 processed sample of S. angustata leaves were collected from different locations of China to establish the fingerprint. The chemometric methods, including similarity analysis (SA), principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), were applied to distinguish the 18 batches of S. angustata samples. The results successfully sorted these samples into five clusters and kept in line with each other. According to the result of the fingerprint analysis, 21 peaks were extracted to be the common peaks and most of them were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) with electron-spray ionization (ESI) in the negative mode. Meanwhile, the loading plot of PCA further indicated that the peaks of neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, rutin, hyperin, and isoquercitrin played a greater role in the discrimination among the 21 peaks. So the six components mentioned above were investigated as index constituents to evaluate the quality of S. angustata leaves from different locations. The study demonstrated that the developed new method was a beneficial approach for authentication and quality evaluation of S. angustata leaves.     

A multi-evaluating strategy for raw and processed Veratrum nigrum L.: Fingerprinting combined with quantitative analysis based on multivariate chemometric methods

Veratrum nigrum L. (VN) is a well-known herbal medicine and rich in chemical components with multiple pharmacological activities including antihypertensive, anticancer, and antifungal effects. In the current experiment, the quality of VN from different habitats was evaluated based on combinative method of fingerprint, multi-component quantification and chemical pattern recognition. Fifteen batches of VN were collected, and intrinsic chemical composition were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, which is a method for analyzing the similarity between samples, coupled with fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine. The fingerprint similarity model show that 22 common peaks were selected covering 15 batches of and the similarity > 0.963. The total of 22 joint components were tentatively identified by comparison with standard substances or literature. A ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of 8 compounds was established to evaluate the contents of raw and processed Veratrum nigrum L. Multivariate analysis was then applied to compare different batches of herbs based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry data. All raw and processed samples were classified by partial least squares discriminant analysis based on the 8 analyzed compounds. The findings suggested that veratramine and polydatin with a variable importance for the project (VIP) > 1 were identified as significant constituents, the presence of which can be used to differentiate between raw and processed Veratrum nigrum L. samples. These results indicate that processing methods show important effects on the composition of Veratrum nigrum L..     

Quality assessment of raw and processed Arctium lappa L. through multicomponent quantification,chromatographic fingerprint,and related chemometric analysis

In traditional Chinese medicine, raw and processed herbs are used to treat different diseases. Suitable quality assessment methods are crucial for the discrimination between raw and processed herbs. The dried fruit of Arctium lappa L. and their processed products are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, yet their therapeutic effects are different. In this study, a novel strategy using high‐performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to rapidly explore raw and processed Arctium lappa L. was proposed and validated. Four main components in a total of 30 batches of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples were analyzed, and ten characteristic peaks were identified in the fingerprint common pattern. Furthermore, similarity evaluation, principal component analysis, and hierachical cluster analysis were applied to demonstrate the distinction. The results suggested that the relative amounts of the chemical components of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples are different. This new method has been successfully applied to detect the raw and processed Fructus Arctii in marketed herbal medicinal products.     

Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavonoids and alkaloids from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. using high‐performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

A reliable method, combining qualitative analysis by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and quantitative assessment by high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection, has been developed to simultaneously analyze flavonoids and alkaloids in lotus leaf extracts. In the qualitative analysis, a total of 30 compounds, including 12 flavonoids, 16 alkaloids, and two proanthocyanidins, were identified. The fragmentation behaviors of four types of flavone glycoside and three types of alkaloid are summarized. The mass spectra of four representative components, quercetin 3‐O‐glucuronide, norcoclaurine, nuciferine, and neferine, are shown to illustrate their fragmentation pathways. Five pairs of isomers were detected and three of them were distinguished by comparing the elution order with reference substances and the mass spectrometry data with reported data. In the quantitative analysis, 30 lotus leaf samples from different regions were analyzed to investigate the proportion of eight representative compounds. Quercetin 3‐O‐glucuronide was found to be the predominant constituent of lotus leaf extracts. For further discrimination among the samples, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis, based on the areas of the eight quantitative peaks, were carried out.     

Determination and Fingerprint Analysis of Steroidal Saponins in roots of Liriope muscari (Decne.) L. H. Bailey by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Liriope muscari (Decne.) L. H. Bailey is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicine used for treating cough and insomnia. There are few reports on the quality evaluation of this herb partly because the major steroid saponins are not readily identified by UV detectors and are not easily isolated due to the existence of many similar isomers. In this study, a qualitative and quantitative method was developed to analyze the major components in L. muscari (Decne.) L. H. Bailey roots. Sixteen components were deduced and identified primarily by the information obtained from ultra high performance liquid chromatography with ion‐trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The method demonstrated the desired specificity, linearity, stability, precision, and accuracy for simultaneous determination of 15 constituents (13 steroidal glycosides, 25(R)‐ruscogenin, and pentylbenzoate) in 26 samples from different origins. The fingerprint was established, and the evaluation was achieved using similarity analysis and principal component analysis of 15 fingerprint peaks from 26 samples by ultra high performance liquid chromatography. The results from similarity analysis were consistent with those of principal component analysis. All results suggest that the established method could be applied effectively to the determination of multi‐ingredients and fingerprint analysis of steroid saponins for quality assessment and control of L. muscari (Decne.) L. H. Bailey.     

Determination of anthraquinones in Rhamnus purshiana using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector and simple ultraviolet spectroscopic analysis

A new method based on Ultraviolet spectrophotometry was developed and compared with that based on high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination and quantification of anthraquinones in the extracts of Rhamnus purshiana bark. A validated quantitative analysis of cascaroside A, cascaroside B, emodin, and aloe-emodin in these herbal products has been previously performed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector. In the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, all the anthraquinones showed satisfactory regression (r² > 0.98) within the test ranges, and the recovery was in the range of 94–117%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.008–0.010 and 0.029–0.035 μg/mL, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed differences in the anthraquinones determined from herbal samples. Subsequently, a simple and low-cost ultraviolet spectrophotometric methodology for the quantitative analysis of the same compounds in the extracts was applied, and all the contents were determined. A paired t-test confirmed that there were no significant differences between the two methods. Our results revealed that the developed method is simple and provides the ability to discriminate and control the quality of anthraquinones in herbal products.     

Qualitative analysis of Psoraleae Fructus by HPLC‐DAD/TOF‐MS fingerprint and quantitative analysis of multiple components by single marker

A variety of bioactive substances may account for the recognized efficacy and wide clinical application of Psoraleae Fructus in China. A high‐performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector (HPLC‐DAD) fingerprint method was developed to present the comprehensive phytochemical profile of the crude drug. Thirteen major compounds were separated and identified by HPLC coupled with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/TOF‐MS), namely psoralenoside (PO), isopsoralenoside (IPO), psoralen (PS), isopsoralen (IPS), neobavaisoflavone (NBF), bavachin (BC), corylin (CN), bavachromene (BCM), psoralidin (PD), isobavachalcone (IBC), bacachinin (BCN), corylifol A (CA) and bakuchiol (BK). Then quantitative analysis of multiple components by single marker (QAMS) was applied in content determination of PO, IPO, PS, IPS, BC, IBC, BCN, CA and BK, with NBF as the internal standard. The calculation results indicated no significant difference from the traditional external standard method (p > 0.05, RSD < 2.62%), suggesting that QAMS is a reliable and convenient method for content determination of multiple chemical compositions, especially when there is a shortage of reference substances. In conclusion, simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of Psoraleae Fructus may be fulfilled through the newly proposed method of QAMS combined with HPLC‐DAD/TOF‐MS fingerprint.     

Quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker combined with HPLC fingerprint qualitative analyses for comprehensive evaluation of Aurantii Fructus

The present study aimed to develop a strategy involving quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker in combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography fingerprint qualitative analysis for performing the quality control of Aurantii Fructus. The content of 12 components (eriocitrin, neoeriocitrin, narirutin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, meranzin, poncirin, naringenin, nobiletin, tangeretin, and auraptene) in samples was determined using reliable relative correction factors that were obtained using naringin as an internal reference standard. The new method demonstrated good applicability, and no significant differences were observed between the external standard method and the new method as determined by calculating standard method difference. Qualitative evaluation of samples was conducted using similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and quality fluctuation analysis. Chromatographic fingerprint data were divided into three groups by similarity and hierarchical cluster analyses, and seven components may have a more significant impact on the quality of Aurantii Fructus in quality fluctuation analysis. Overall, the study suggests that the qualitative and quantitative analyses of multicomponents using quantitative analysis of multicomponents by single marker combined with chromatographic fingerprinting can be considered good quality criteria for performing quality control and providing technical support for the further pharmacological and pharmaceutical research of Aurantii Fructus.     

Development of the Fingerprints for the Quality Evaluation of Scutellariae Radix by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS-MS

A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS²) method was firstly developed for a chemical fingerprint analysis of Scutellariae Radix and rapid identification of major compounds in the fingerprints. The experimental data for chromatography were used for hierarchical clustering analysis and similarity calculation, and those for UV and MS spectra were applied for identifying characteristic peaks. Twenty samples including S. baicalensis Georgi., S. viscidula Bge. and S. amoena C. H. Wright were classified into three groups. By comparing the UV and MS spectra data with those of the authentic standards and literature, 20 main peaks in the fingerprints were identified for the first time. The developed fingerprint assay was specific and could be readily utilized for comprehensive evaluation of Scutellariae Radix.