Chemical constituents from aerial parts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis were analyzed and identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS). The chromatographic column of Waters Acquity UPLC BEH-C_(18)(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 μm) was adopted, with acetonitrile-water(0.5% formic acid) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL·min~(-1). Data was collected in positive and negative modes of electrospray ionization(ESI). A total of 55 compounds, including 42 flavonoids, 9 stilbenes, 2 coumarins, 1 lignin and 1 phenolic acid, which were characterized in the aerial parts of G. uralensis based on accurate molecular mass information of molecular and product ions provided by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS based on comparison with standard substances and references. It is an effective and accurate method to provide chemical information of constituents in aerial parts of G. uralensis, and can provide a reference for further study on pharmacodynamic material basis and resources development and utilization.
Keywords: UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS; aerial parts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis; chemical constituents; flavonoids; stilbenes.