Screening and identification of multiple components in Tanreqing injection using RP-HPLC combined with DAD and ESI-TOF/MS.

A liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (DAD) and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF/MS) method was developed for the screening and identification of the multiple components in Tanreqing injection, a well-known Chinese medicine injection in China. By combining the DAD spectrum and the accurate mass measurement of ESI-TOF/MS, twelve components in Tanreqing injection were identified. This study contributes to clarifying the nature of Tanreqing injection, and provides an effective and reliable process for the comprehensive and systematic characterization of complex traditional Chinese medicine preparations.