Rapid and simultaneous determination of 22 constituents in Menispermi Rhizoma by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Abstract

A multi-component-assay quality control method, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of 22 constituents in Menispermi Rhizoma. By employing a Waters BEH C₁₈ column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, i.d., 1.7 μm), 22 constituents were separated within only 14 min using a gradient elution system consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min⁻¹. Mass spectrometric detection was performed using multiple reaction monitoring mode via an electrospray ionization source operating in positive ionization mode. The validation of the method, including linearity, sensitivity, precision, accuracy and stability, was carried out and demonstrated to satisfy the requirements of quantitative analysis. The developed method was successfully applied for the simultaneous quantification of 22 components in 10 batches of Menispermi Rhizoma obtained from different regions of northern China, and the results showed that the contents of analytes in Menispermi Rhizoma from different sources varied widely. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to differentiate and classify the samples based on the contents of the 22 characteristic constituents, which is helpful for the comprehensive evaluation of the quality of Menispermi Rhizoma.