Rapid Detection and Characterization of Steroidal Saponins in the Root of Asparagus cochinchinensis by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Electrospray Ionization and Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The dried root of Asparagus cochinchinensis (RAC) has been used as an important traditional Chinese medicine for a long time in China. Steroidal saponins (SSs) are considered to be the main active ingredients of this herb. However, the isolation and structural determination of SSs from RAC are time-consuming and laborious. For this reason, the development of new methods for the separation and characterization of SSs is highly desirable. In this study, a new high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) method with precursor ions and the corresponding fragment ions was developed for the identification of SSs in RAC. Finally, 30 SSs have been detected and identified, including 17 potential new compounds. This is the first systematic study of SSs in RAC by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS method.

The combination of UHPLC-HRMS and molecular networking improving discovery efficiency of chemical components in Chinese Classical Formula

“…According to the clusters, the structures of these compounds could be rapidly identified. Sixteen steroidal saponins were tentatively identified from Asparagi radix and 14 steroidal saponins were tentatively identified from Anemarrhenae rhizoma by comparison with reported literatures [ 8 – 10 ] (Table 1 ), and they were annotated in red and light green in Fig. 2 , respectively.…”

“…Previous studies had reported that steroidal saponin was one of the main compounds of Asparagi radix [ 8 ]. Taking aspacochioside A at m/z 903.495 as an example, its MS/MS spectrum showed three characteristic fragments of m/z 757.432, m/z 595.383, and m/z 433.330, which in turn lost rhamnosyl, glucosyl and glucosyl, the fragment of m/z 433.330 corresponding to the aglycone of aspacochioside A (Additional file 1 : Figure S2).…”

“…4 a). The node of m/z 919.491 was preliminarily deduced as aspacochioside A analogue with one more hydroxyl group to the rhamnose of aspacochioside A, finally annotated as 3- O - β - d -glucopyranosyl (1 → 2)- β - d -glucopyranosyl-26- O - β - d -glucopyranosyl-(25 S )-5 β -furostane-3 β ,22 α ,26-triol according literature [ 8 ]. According to the clusters, the structures of these compounds could be rapidly identified.…”