Simultaneous Determination of 14 Bioactive Components in Fangji Huangqi Tang by UHPLC-QqQ-MS Technique

Abstract

Fangji Huangqi Tang (FHT) is a traditional prescription frequently utilized in clinical practice, with a wide range of clinical applications and good therapeutic effects. Quality control of FHT is difficult because Chinese medicine compounds usually contain a vast array of components characterized by significant structural diversity. A quick and accurate method to determine the content of active constituents in FHT was essential, by which the purpose of quality control and efficacy assessment could be achieved. A method utilizing UHPLC-QqQ-MS technology in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was established to quantify 14 bioactive components in FHT simultaneously. These analytes included tetrandrine, fangchinoline, calycosin, calycosin-7-glucoside, medicarpin, formononetin, atractylenolide I, atractylenolide II, atractylenolide III, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, liquiritin, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid. And to our knowledge, the content of calycosin, medicarpin, formononetin, and atractylenolide II in FHT was reported for the first time in this paper. The method was thoroughly validated for stable and reliable application regarding specificity, linearity, precision, stability, repeatability, and accuracy. The established method allowed the simultaneous determination of 14 bioactive components with diverse structures and trace amounts in FHT, ultimately achieving the quality control and assessment of FHT for its safe and appropriate clinical use.