Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Multiple Reaction Monitoring-Based Multi-Component...

Area of Science:

• Herbal Medicine Analysis
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Bangkeehwangkee-tang (BHT) is a traditional herbal formula with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Ensuring consistent quality and efficacy of BHT is crucial for its clinical and non-clinical applications.
• A reliable analytical method is needed to quantify multiple marker compounds in BHT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a robust analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 22 marker compounds in BHT.
• To establish a quality control standard for BHT using advanced analytical techniques.
• To assess the variability of marker compounds in different BHT samples.

Main Methods:

• Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was employed.
• Method validation included selectivity, linearity (r² ≥ 0.9913), sensitivity (LOD/LOQ), accuracy (recovery 90.36–113.74%), and precision (RSD ≤ 15%).
• The validated method was applied to analyze various BHT samples.

Main Results:

• The UPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated excellent selectivity, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision for 22 marker compounds.
• Significant variations in the content of key compounds like sinomenine, magnoflorine, and glycyrrhizin were observed across different BHT samples.
• The developed method proved effective in identifying quality inconsistencies in BHT preparations.

Conclusions:

• Standardized quality control is essential for Bangkeehwangkee-tang (BHT) to ensure therapeutic consistency.
• The developed UPLC-MS/MS method is a practical and reliable tool for the quality assessment of traditional herbal formulas like BHT.
• This analytical approach supports the consistent efficacy of BHT in various applications.