Simultaneous determination and quality evaluation of 16 compounds in Ligustri Lucidi Fructus covering different regions and processed products by UPLC-MS.

Abstract

A quantitative analysis method and chemical pattern recognition method were developed to evaluate raw Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (LLF) from different regions and different processed products. In this study, a comprehensive strategy using UPLC-MS quantitative analysis method was established for the simultaneous determination of 16 components in 47 batches of LLF covering 19 regions belonging to 8 provinces and 24 batches of different processed products (steamed LLF without auxiliary material, wine-steamed LLF, salt-steamed LLF and vinegar-steamed LLF). The results of this study indicated that the proposed method was reliable and accurate for the rapid analysis proved by detection limit, quantification limit, precision and accuracy. Furthermore, PCA and HCA were employed to analyze the experimental data, showing that the best quality of 47 batches of raw LLF were S47 (Lantian, Shaanxi), S39 (Pingyang-2, Shandong), S38 (Pingyang-1, Shandong) and S45 (Lingbao, Henan), whereas the worst quality was S7 - S16 (Huzhou, Zhejiang). In 24 batches of processed products, best were S48 (salt-steamed 2h), S60 (wine-steamed 2h) and S61(wine-steamed 4h). Meanwhile, the hot map showed that the content of triterpenoid saponins including C16 (ursolic acid), C15 (oleanic acid), C14 (maslinic acid) were higher than that of other compounds in a total of 71 batches samples. The above results suggested that the quality of raw LLF in central and northern regions was better than southern regions, and as for the processed products, different auxiliary material had little effect on the quality of LLF but steaming time did, two hours appropriate. In a word, this study proposed a multi-parameter quantitative analysis method for overall quality control of raw FLL samples covering different regions in China and different processed FLL.