Analysis of chemical constituents from Citrus aurantium by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS

In this study, a ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS) method was developed to analyze the chemical components in Citrus aurantium. C. aurantium were extracted with 75% methanol, and we applied a Thermo Scientific BDS Hypersil C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×150 mm, 2.4 μm) to UHPLC analysis with acetonitrile-water (containing 0.1% formic acid) in gradient as mobile phase. Elutes were then detected by ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS. A total of 27 components were identified, including fourteen flavonoids, seven coumarins, five limonoids and one alkaloid. This study showed an insight into the composition of C. aurantium, which could provide theoretical foundation for further study and utilization of the medicinal resources.