Main chemical constituents research of Qishen Yiqi Dropping Pills based on UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective To recognize the chemical profile of Qishen Yiqi Dropping Pills (QYDP) comprehensively, systematically and rapidly; ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was employed to identify the main chemical composition of this preparation. Methods A gradient elution for separation was achieved through ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with acetonitrile-water (containing 0.1% formic acid) as the mobile phase. Then, the novel Q-Orbitrap MS technology was employed to detect the information of accurate mass and multistage fragment ions. Chemical constituents were characterized by comparing their relative retention time and mass data with that of the reference substance, meanwhile the reference literature, Mass Bank database, and Chemical Book network database were also consulted. Results A total of 53 ingredients were finally identified in this study, including 14 organic acids, 10 flavones, 10 authraquinones, 2 saponins, 7 amino acids, and 10 others. Conclusion An efficient method was established in this work to identify the main chemical ingredients of QYDP rapidly and accurately; Meanwhile, this research will lay a scientific foundation for the further research on pharmacodynamic material basis, quality control, and clinical application of this medicine.