Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

High-resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Studying Chemical Constituents of Gynura bicolor DC
Published on: February 2, 2024
Simultaneous quantification of 14 bioactive constituents in Forsythia suspensa by liquid chromatography-electrospray
Yang Cui1, Qiao Wang, Xiaowei Shi
1Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, People's Republic of China.
Introduction:
Forsythia suspensa is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine including phenylethanoid glycosides, lignans, flavonoids, terpenes and volatile oils. Quantification of multi-components is important for the quality control of Forsythia suspensa.
Objective:
To establish a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of 14 bioactive constituents of Forsythia suspensa in different places of China and different parts of this herb.
Methodology:
The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved on a Kromasil C(18) column (150 yen 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with gradient elution of methanol, acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in 27 min. Detection was performed in negative ionisation mode by monitoring the precursor-product combination in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The validation of the method included tests of linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability, stability and accuracy.
Results:
All calibration curves showed good linear regression (r > 0.9990) within test ranges. The established method showed good precision and accuracy with overall intra-day and inter-day variations of 0.7-4.3 and 1.1-3.9% respectively, and overall recoveries of 96.65-101.2% for the compounds analysed.
Conclusion:
The proposed method was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of 14 constituents in 12 Forsythia suspensa samples.
