The Chemical Characterization of Eleutherococcus senticosus and Ci-wu-jia Tea Using UHPLC-UV-QTOF/MS

Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim. belongs to the Araliaceae family. Phytochemical studies reveal that E. senticosus leaves contain triterpene glycosides along with organic acid derivatives and flavonoid compounds. It is believed that E. senticosus is similar to ginseng because they come from same family and both contain triterpene saponins. E. senticosus leaves have been developed as a functional beverage called ci-wu-jia tea in recent years. Triterpene glycosides are difficult to identify by ultraviolet (UV) detection and contents of these compounds are low in E. senticosus leaves. In this study, a sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic (UHPLC) method combining UV and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was developed to characterize the triterpene glycosides from E. senticosus leaves and related commercial products. Fragmentation patterns of three sub-groups of triterpene glycosides in E. senticosus leaves were investigated. Additionally, fragmentation pathways and UV characteristics of organic acid derivatives and flavonoids were also characterized. A compound screening library, including 241 compounds reported in the literature, was created and used to confirm the compounds in the samples. In this study, a total of 24 samples, including 13 plant samples of E. senticosus and 11 ci-wu-jia tea products, were analyzed. Out of the 11 commercial products, three products were discovered to contain green tea (Camellia sinensis) that was considered to be an adulterant since it was not an ingredient on the labels. The developed UHPLC-UV-MS/MS analytical method combined with the UNIFI processing method can simultaneously characterize organic acid derivatives, flavonoids, and triterpene saponins from E. senticosus. It provides a simple and sensitive way to perform quality control of E. senticosus and related ci-wu-jia tea products.