Chemical Comparison of Ophiopogonis radix and Liriopes radix Based on Quantitative Analysis of Multiple Components by HPLC Coupled with Electrospray Ionization Tandem Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

Background Ophiopogonis radix and Liriopes radix are well known for the treatment of dry coughs and phthisis. Liriopes radix is occasionally used as a substitute for Ophiopogonis radix in various prescriptions due to the extremely similar pharmacological activities and clinical efficacies, but they are regarded as two different remedies in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Accordingly, the establishment of a reliable analytical approach for the discrimination and quality evaluation of Ophiopogonis and Liriopes is required. Objective To establish a simple, accurate, and reliable method that can simultaneously determine multiple components in Ophiopogonis radix and Liriopes radix. To comprehensively compare the chemical compositions of the two herbs and find markers for discrimination and quality assessments. Method An HPLC-ESI-triple quadrupole (QQQ)-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous characterization and quantification of chemical components in the two herbs. The results were further analyzed by PLS discriminant analysis to provide more information about the chemical differences, as well as to evaluate the quality of each sample. Results A total of 23 compounds have been characterized and quantified in 31 batches of herbs from different geographical regions, among which liriopesides B, sprengerinin A, ophiopogonin B, and ophiopogonanone E contribute mostly. The contents of homoisoflavonoids were much higher in Ophiopogonis radix than in Liriopes radix, but the levels of steroidal saponins followed a contrary trend. Conclusions Simultaneous determination of multiple components by HPLC-QQQ-MS/MS coupled with chemometrics analysis is an acceptable strategy to evaluate and control the quality of Ophiopogonis radix and Liriope radix. Highlights Simultaneous determination of 12 steroidal saponins and 11 homoisoflavonoids in both Ophiopogonis radix and Liriope radix by using HPLC-QQQ-MS/MS in positive ion mode, as well as the quality control study.