Rapid determination of eight oxoisoaporphine alkaloids in Rhizoma Menispermi by the optimal homogenate extraction followed by UPLC-MS/MS.

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and reliable homogenate extraction (HGE) and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous analysis of eight bioactive oxoisoaporphine alkaloids (including two new alkaloids) in Rhizoma Menispermi. HGE was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the maximum extraction efficiency of eight alkaloids. Separation was achieved on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm(2), 1.7 μm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.2% formic acid in water. Quantification was performed with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using positive ESI as an interface. This is the first report of the simultaneous analysis of eight oxoisoaporphine alkaloids in Rhizoma Menispermi using a UPLC-MS/MS method; this analysis afforded good linearity, precision, and accuracy. Then, the method was successfully applied to determine the alkaloids in Rhizoma Menispermi from different sources.