Rapid separation and identification of 31 major saponins in Shizhu ginseng by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–electron spray ionization–MS/MS

BACKGROUND: Among the various ginseng strains, Shizhu ginseng is endemic to China, mainly distributed in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County (Liaoning Province, China); however, not much is known about the compounds (especially saponins) in Shizhu ginseng. METHODS: A rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with MS/MS (UHPLC–MS/MS) method was developed to separate and identify saponins in Shizhu ginseng. RESULTS: The separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C(18) column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase under a gradient elution at 40°C. The detection was performed on a Micromass Quattro Micro API mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization source in both positive and negative modes. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 31 saponins were identified or tentatively characterized by comparing retention time and MS data with related literatures and reference substances. CONCLUSION: The developed UHPLC–MS/MS method was suitable for identifying and characterizing the chemical constituents in Shizhu ginseng, which provided a helpful chemical basis for further research on Shizhu ginseng.