Analysis of major chemical constituents in Luan-Pao-prescription using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract

Luan-Pao-Prescription is a famous Chinese herbal formula, which is commonly used for the treatment of female sterility in clinical practice in China. In the present paper, a reliable method based on liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in both positive and negative ion modes has been established for the analysis of major chemical constituents in Luan-Pao-Prescription. A total of 34 compounds were either identified or tentatively characterized. These compounds include flavonoids, anthraquinones, iridoids, xanthones and organic acids. Flavonoids were the major constituents of the formula. The results profiled the chemical composition of Luan-Pao-Prescription comprehensively for the first time.