Rapid quantitative analysis of 12 chemical constituents in wild-simulated and cultivated Astragali Radix based on UHPLC-MS

OBJECTIVE: Astragali Radix (AR) is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) for tonic, which can be divided into wild-simulated and cultivated AR according to its cultivation method. However, whether cultivated AR can replace wild-simulated AR has always been a concern. METHODS: In this study, a rapid, highly sensitive and specific analytical method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was developed to quantitatively measure 12 chemical constituents of AR in the different cultivation methods. RESULTS: AR samples were analyzed with a good linear regression relationship (R(2), 0.9983–0.9995), precisions (relative standard deviation (RSD), 1.31%−2.36%), repeatability (RSD, 2.65%−4.92%), stability (RSD, 1.50%−4.05%), and recovery (95.13%−106.52%). Through the determination of AR samples, we found the components of flavonoids in wild-simulated AR were higher than cultivated AR, the saponins in cultivated AR were higher, the ratio of saponins/flavonoids in cultivated AR was higher than wild-simulated AR. CONCLUSION: Based on this research, it could provide guidance for the quality control of AR.