Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the rapid analysis of constituents in the traditional Chinese medical formula Danggui San

In this work, ultra-performance LC with ESI quadrupole TOF-MS (UPLC–ESI-Q-TOF-MS) and automated MetaboLynx analysis was used to rapidly separate and identify the chemical constituents of Danggui San, a traditional Chinese medical formula. The analysis was performed on a Waters UPLC BEH C18 column using a gradient elution system. A hyphenated ESI and Q-TOF analyzer was used for the determination of the accurate mass of the protonated or deprotonated molecule and fragment ions in both positive and negative modes. Based on retention times, accurate mass, and the mass spectrometric fragmentation characteristics, a total of 47 compounds distributed over the chemical groups of phthalides, flavonoids, monoterpene glycosides, sesquiterpenoids, phenolics, and alkaloids, were simultaneously separated within 18 min and identified or tentatively elucidated in Danggui San for the first time. UPLC–ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis revealed the complexity of the chemical composition of this formula. The method developed is rapid, accurate, reliable, and highly sensitive to characterize the chemical constituents of Danggui San.