Rapid determination of ten polyphenols in Kudiezi injection using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode

Ying Liu,  Jianqiu Lu,   Jiayu Zhang,   Qing Wang,  Fang Wang,  Yanjiang Qiao and   Yunling

Abstract

A simple and rapid method for simultaneous determination of ten polyphenols in Kudiezi injection has been developed and validated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The chromatographic separation was performed on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with a gradient of acetonitrile and 0.5%formic acid (v/v). Ten polyphenols were rapidly analyzed within 10 minutes. Very low limits of detection (LODs) of 0.002–0.630 μg L?1 and limits of quantitation (LOQs) of 0.005–2.930 μg L?1 of the ten components were achieved. The linear calibration range extended from 2.73 to 660.40 μg L1. The developed method was validated in terms of good linearity (R2 > 0.9990), precision (less than 3.71%) and accuracy (from 97.35 to 102.02%) for ten components. The developed UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was simple and useful for rapid determination of the constituents in Kudiezi injection.

neochlorogenic acid (I), chlorogenic acid (II), cryptochlorogenic acid (III), isochlorogenic acid B (VII), isochlorogenic acid A (VIII) and isochlorogenic acid C (IX) were purchased from Chengdu Biopurify Phytochemicals Co, Ltd