Rapid identification and simultaneous analysis of multiple constituents from Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS

Abstract

Rhubarb contains biologically active compounds such as anthraquinones, anthrones, stilbenes and tannins. A rapid and efficient UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS method was developed and applied towards identifying the constituents of Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf. for the first time. Chemical constituents were separated and investigated by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS in the negative ion mode. The ESI-MS fragmentation pathways of four types of compounds were interpreted, providing a very useful guidance for the characterisation of different types of compounds. Based on the exact mass information, fragmentation characteristic and LC retention time of 7 reference standards, 30 constituents were tentatively identified from the methanol extract of R. tanguticum. Among them, seven compounds were described for the first time from R. tanguticum and two from the genus Rheum were described for the first time. The analytical tool used here is valuable for the rapid separation and identification of multiple and minor constituents in methanol extracts of R. tanguticum.

What we already know about rhubarb: a comprehensive review

“… – HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS Emodin, rhein, physcion, aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, (+)-catechin, sennoside A, sennoside B, sennoside C, polydatin, gallic acid, emodin- 8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, aloe-emodin-8-O-glucoside, epicatechin-3-O-gallate, etc [ 141 ] 57 Methanol extract R. tanguticum Maxim.ex Balf. – UPLC/Q-TOF–MS/MS p-coumaric acid glucoside, (−) epicatechin-3-O-gallate, isolindleyin, phlorizin, emodin, aloe-emodin, emodin-1-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, 4-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone 4′-O-β- d -(6-O-trans-p-coumaroyl)-glucopyranoside, resveratrol-4′-O-β- d -(2′′-O-galloyl)-glucopyra-noside, etc [ 142 ] 58 Methanol extract – – UHPLC Sennoside A, physcion, rhein, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, emodin, aloe-emodin-8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, rhein-8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, emodin-8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, chrysophanol-8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside, physcion-8-O-β- d -glucopyranoside [ 143 ] 59 80% methanol extract R. palmatum L.; R. tanguticum Maxim.ex Balf. ; R. Officinale Baill.…”

Systematic characterization of the chemical constituents in vitro and prototypes in vivo of Dingkun Dan using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry combined with the UNIFI™ software

“…Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole timeof-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS E , E represents collision energy) (Peng et al, 2015) has been widely used for detecting multicomponents in a complex system, owing to its rapid elution, high sensitivity, and accuracy (Gao, Guo, Xu, & Yang, 2017;Liu et al, 2019). UNIFI™ is a powerful data screening and analysis software, which performs multiple functions such as neutral loss (NL) and diagnostic ion (DI) scanning for the target identification of components.…”

Rapid Classification and Identification of Chemical Components of Schisandra Chinensis by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS Combined with Data Post-Processing

“…Characteristic fragment ions (CFs) refer to the fragments that could be used to infer the cleavage types and the classification of substances, which helps to screen the target components and filter congeners. Moreover, neutral fragments (NFs) lost during cleavage processes also play an important role in screening substances, as they reflect the discrepancy of the m / z between the parent ion and the fragment ions in high mass-to-charge ratio portions [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Therefore, it is propitious to realize the rapid screening and qualitative analysis of constituents of TCM combined with data post-processing techniques (CFF and NLF) on the basis of UPLC-Q-TOF/MS.…”