Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field Orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS) was used for rapid identification of the chemical components in Kaixin San substance benchmark. The gradient elution was performed through a Waters ACQUITY~(TM) BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×150 mm, 1.7 μm) with water-acetonitrile as mobile phase, a column temperature of 30 ℃, a flow rate of 0.3 mL·min~(-1), and a sample size of 1 μL. The scanning was performed in the negative ion mode. The complex component groups in Kaixin San substance benchmark were quickly and accurately identified and clearly assigned based on the comparison of the retention time and MS data with those of the reference substance as well as the relative molecular weight of the same or similar components in the mass spectrum database and literature. A total of 77 compounds were identified, including 26 saponins, 13 triterpenoid acids, 20 oligosaccharide esters, 5 xanthones, and 13 other compounds. The qualitative method established in this study can systematically, accurately, and quickly identify the chemical components in Kaixin San substance benchmark, which can provide a basis for the further analysis of its active components in vivo and the establishment of its quality control system.
Keywords: Kaixin San; UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS; chemical components; substance benchmark.