The metabolite profiling of different parts of Panax notoginseng was carried out using rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS) and multivariate statistical analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the UPLC-ESI-MS data showed a clear separation of compositions among the flower buds, roots and rhizomes of P. notoginseng. The saponins accounting for such variations were identified through the corresponding loadings weights and were further verified by accurate mass, tandem mass and retention times of available standard saponins using UPLC quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-QtofMS). Finally, the influential factors of different metabolic phenotypes of P. notoginseng was elucidated. The currently proposed UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analytical method coupled with multivariate statistical analysis can be further utilized to evaluate chemical components obtained from different parts of the plant and/or the plant of different geographical locations, thereby classifying the medicinal plant resources and potentially elucidating the mechanism of inherent phytochemical diversity.

A rapid analytical method for quantifying 17 ginsenosides in rat urine by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is described. All analytes were extracted by solid-phase extraction optimized to obtain good recovery and quantified using digoxin as an internal standard. ESI-MS was optimized for different cone voltages at positive ionization mode to allow simultaneous analysis of all analytes in a relatively short time. Qualitative methodological considerations, including the linear range, precision, limit of quantification, limit of detection, recovery and sensitivity are also provided.

The results indicate that KQL is able to protect renal function via ameliorating experimental rat renal failure as found in these renal functional parameters.

This UPLC-ESI-MS assay provides a suitable quality control method for the tentative identification and determination of major biological active constituents in adventitious and native roots of P. notoginseng.

The flower buds of Panax notoginseng have been commonly used for the treatment of hypertension, vertigo, tinnitus and acute faucitis in China. The amount of total saponins in the flower buds is higher than in any other parts of P. notoginseng. However, the compositions of flower buds have not been quantified clearly until now. A sensitive and efficient high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) method was developed for the first time to simultaneously quantify eight active saponins in the flower buds of P. notoginseng, including notoginsenoside R(1) and ginsenosides Rg(1), Re, Rb(1), Rb(2), Rb(3), Rd and F(2). The analysis was performed on a reversed-phase C(18) column with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.01% aqueous formic acid. The proposed method provided good linearity, reproducibility and sensitivity for the simultaneous quantification of the investigated saponins with overall intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of better than 4.1% (RSD) and higher than 95% (accuracy), respectively. The recoveries for all the saponins determined were in the range 94.7-104.8% with RSD better than 3.1%. Using the optimized method, we were able to analyze samples from different villages of Wenshan Prefecture, China, which is helpful for quality control of flower buds of P. notoginseng.