ABSTRACT
Objective To establish the determination method of four ginsenosides from flower buds of Panax quinquefolium by Waters Acquity UPLC H-Class with Xevo TQD. Methods The chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm × 2.1mm, 1.7 μm). The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and water containing 0.05% ammonium hydroxide with gradient elution; The flow rate was 0.45 mL/min, and the column temperature was 35 ℃; Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) acquisition under negative ion scan mode by ESI was also performed. Results The method was established with good precision, stability, repeatability, and accuracy. Ginsenoside Re, pseudo-ginsenoside F11, ginsenoside Rb3, and ginsenoside Rd showed a good linearity in the range of corresponding concentrations. Conclusion The UPLC-MS/MS method is rapid, simple, accurate, reliable, which can be used for the analysis of ginsenosides from flower buds of P. quinquefolium.