HPLC-MS details 'chemical fingerprint' of P notoginseng preparation

A preparation of Panax notoginseng has been analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry in order to determine its "chemical fingerprint".

The scientists from the Pharmaceutical Informatics Institute of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, reveal their findings in the journal Chinese Medicine.

Using HPLC with photodiode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry based on electrospray ionisation, they were able to detect characteristic common peaks in a P notoginseng sample.

Meanwhile, HPLC was again employed - this time with ultraviolet detection - to quantify the chromatographic structure of a Xuesaitong injection based on P notoginseng saponins.

They found that ten reference saponins were able to quantify and identify all 27 common saponins detected, which could in turn provide a basis for quality control tests of P notoginseng preparations like Xuesaitong.

Chinese Medicine is an open-access publication which welcomes submissions of all manuscripts addressing aspects of the country's traditional methods of healthcare.