Simultaneous determination of 12 active components in the roots of Pulsatilla chinensis using tissue-smashing extraction with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and combining a tissue-smashing extraction technique was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of 12 compounds in the roots of Pulsatilla chinensis. Among them, compound 6 was characterized and accurately quantified in this herb for the first time. The parameters of extraction condition were simultaneously optimized with a Box-Behnken design and Derringer's function. The optimized conditions were as follows: sample quantity of 0.5 g, ethanol concentration of 70%, and extraction time of 200 s. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was employed for the quantification between positive and negative mode in a single run of 6 min. Full validation of the method was carried out, and the results indicated that the method was rapid, specific, and reliable. The developed method was successfully applied to quantify the 12 compounds in 33 batches of P. chinensis from different provinces. Moreover, the principal component analysis was performed to compare the P. chinensis collected from different provinces of China based on quantitative data and the results indicated that the content of compounds could be used to differentiate the origins of P. chinensis. These results demonstrated that this method is feasible and reliable for the quality control of P. chinensis.