Current China Pharmacopoeia standards for the Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) that contain one or several the same drug(s) employ case-dependent TLC or HPLC approaches to achieve qualitative identification. A qualitative "monomethod-heterotrait matrix" (MHM) strategy is thus proposed, by selective monitoring of multi-biomarkers, to achieve the identification of different CPMs. Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) is a reputable gynecological herbal medicine containing characteristic quinochalcone C-glycosides (QCGs) as the major bioactive components. Qualitative identification of safflower in diverse CPMs by selective monitoring of QCG markers was performed by use of the MHM strategy. Initially, 27 QCG analogs (involving 16 potentially new ones) were selectively characterized by product ion filtering (m/z 119.05) and integrated analysis of the negative mode MS(E) and Fast DDA data obtained on a UHPLC/QTOF mass spectrometer. Subsequently, by fingerprint analysis of 20 batches of safflower samples followed by a thermostable test, six QCGs (hydroxysafflor yellow A and its two isomers, anhydrosafflor yellow B, safflomin C, and isosafflomin C) were selected as the biomarkers for safflower. Then, a highly specific selective ion monitoring (SIM) method by recording centroided data was developed and applied to selectively profile six QCG biomarkers from 28 batches of CPM samples collected from versatile vendors. By reference to a standard SIM spectrum established using a home-made safflower reference extract, simultaneous identification of safflower in eleven different CPMs was accomplished with the unified sample preparation and a single UHPLC/QTOF-SIM method. The qualitative MHM strategy represents the novel methodology that facilitates the quality control of CPMs more efficiently.
Keywords: Carthamus tinctorius L.; Chinese patent medicine; Quinochalcone C-glycoside; Selective ion monitoring; UHPLC/QTOF MS.
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