Quality assessment: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of nine active components in Sargentodoxa cuneata by HPLC/Q Exactive Plus MS and UPLC-ESI-MS/MS

Abstract Background: Sargentodoxa cuneata is an herb commonly used by the Hmong people, and many preparations containing this herb have been marketed. However, the source of medicinal materials is not standardized during the production process, and the quality of medicinal materials from different sources may be inconsistent. This study was aimed to establish a qualitative and quantitative analysis method for quality assessment of Sargentodoxa cuneata in different regions. Methods: HPLC/Q Exactive Plus MS was performed in positive mode and negative mode used for qualitative analysis, and there were twenty-one ingredients were tested. Nine high-content or characteristic ingredients were screened out and applied to the quantitative analysis of thirty batches of medicinal materials from different origins. Based on the results of the quantitative analysis, further multivariate statistical analyses were carried out for quality assessment of Sargentodoxa cuneata . Results: Results showed that there were significant differences in the contents of the nine ingredients of Sargentodoxa cuneata in the eastern and southwestern regions. The content of hydroxytyrosol, salidroside, chlorogenic acid, desrhamnosyl isoacteoside, and liriodendrin of Sargentodoxa cuneata in eastern region was higher, while the content of protocatechin in southwestern region was higher. The different ingredients included protocatechuic acid, desrhamnosyl isoacteoside, liriodendrin, and hydroxytyrosol. These four ingredients were important factors that caused the difference in the quality of Sargentodoxa cuneata from different origins. Conclusion: Protocatechuic acid, desrhamnosyl isoacteoside, liriodendrin, and hydroxytyrosol may become a new marker for quality assessment of Sargentodoxa cuneata.