ABSTRACT
Objective::To analysis the chemical constituents in Sancao Baogan decoction by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-HRMSn). Method::The separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) by a gradient elution of methanol (A)-0.1% formic acid solution (B) (0-2 min, 5%A; 2-20 min, 5%-12%A; 20-35 min, 12%-40%A; 35-38 min, 40%A; 38-48 min, 40%-80%A; 48-50 min, 80%A). The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min-1 and the column temperature was set at 30 ℃, the injection volume was 10 μL. Electrospray ionization was applied and the data were collected via positive and negative ion modes. By using Xcalibur 3.0 software, the chemical constituents were analyzed based on the relative retention time, excimer ion peak and fragment ion peak of the compounds, as well as comparison with human metabolome database (HMDB), reference substances and literature data. Result::A total of 40 chemical components were identified from Sancao Baogan decoction, including 16 phenolic acids, 19 flavonoids, 2 anthraquinones, 1 triterpenoid, 1 sterol, and 1 monoterpenoid. Six compounds (dansensu, α-pinene, epigallocatechin, 2, 5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, naringenin and emodin) were reported for the first time from Sancao Baogan decoction. Conclusion::The established UPLC-ESI-HRMSn can quickly, accurately and comprehensively analyze the chemical constituents of Sancao Baogan decoction, which lays a foundation for the basic research of pharmacodynamic substances and quality control of this formula.