Discrimination of the seeds of Notopterygium incisum and Notopterygium franchetii by validated HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS method and principal component analysis.

A validated HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS method has been developed to simultaneously quantify 12 bioactive compounds in the seeds of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H.T. Chang and Notopterygium franchetii H. de Boiss whose rhizomes and roots are widely used as traditional Chinese medicine. This method was validated to be sensitive, precise and accurate and was applied to evaluate the difference in the chemical profiles and contents of these analytes in 37 batches of N. incisum and 31 batches of N. franchetii samples collected from different locations. Principal component analysis showed that the two species were separated into two groups obviously. This study established a validated method for identification of the authenticity of the seeds of N. incisum and N. franchetii and supplied effective guidance for artificial cultivation.