A practical strategy for the characterization of coumarins in Radix Glehniae by liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A Vol. 1217; no. 27; pp. 4587 - 4600
• Main Authors: Yang, Wei, Ye, Min, Liu, Man, Kong, Dezhi, Shi, Rui, Shi, Xiaowei, Zhang, Kerong, Wang, Qiao, Lantong, Zhang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 02.07.2010; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier; Elsevier
• Subjects: Apiaceae - chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Chromatography, Reverse-Phase - methods; Coumarin; Coumarins - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; General pharmacology; Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Medical sciences; Multiple ion monitoring-information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Roots - chemistry; Precursor scan information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion; Radix Glehniae; Asia; China; Multiple ion monitoring-information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion; Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry; Radix Glehniae; Coumarin; Precursor scan information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion; Tandem mass spectrometry; Chemical analysis; Coumarine derivatives; HPLC chromatography; Electrospray; Quadrupole spectrometer; Medicinal plant; Ion trap; Data acquisition system; Multiple ion monitoring-information-dependent acquisition-enhanced production; Folk medicine; Below ground plant part; Root; Coupled method; Pharmacognosy; Furocoumarine derivatives; Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; Lactone; Reversed phase chromatography; Glehnia littoralis; Plant origin; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0021-9673; 1873-3778
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2010.04.076

The aim of the present study was to develop a practical method for the characterization of coumarins in Radix Glehniae by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). First, 10 coumarin standards (including two pairs of isomers) were studied, and mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns and elution time rules for the coumarins were found. Then, an extract of Radix Glehniae was analyzed by the combination of two scan modes, i.e., multiple ion monitoring-information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion mode (MIM-IDA-EPI) and precursor scan information-dependent acquisition-enhanced product ion mode (PREC-IDA-EPI) on a hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer. A total of 41 coumarins were identified on the basis of their mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns. This is the first time that these two scan modes have been combined to characterize chemical constituents in traditional Chinese medicine. This new method allowed the identification of coumarins in Radix Glehniae in trace amounts. The methodology proposed in this study could be valuable for the structural characterization of coumarins from complex natural and synthetic sources.