Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with linear ion trap-Orbitrap hybrid mass spectrometry combined with a systematic strategy based on fragment ions for the rapid separation and characterization of components in Stellera chamaejasme extracts.

Stellera chamaejasme, a famous toxic herb, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various diseases. For decades, increasing attention in modern pharmacological studies has been drawn to S. chamaejasme because of its potential anti-tumor, anti-virus, and anti-fungus activities. However, due to the intrinsic complexity of chemical constitutes, hardly any investigations formed an overall recognition for the chemical profiles of this herb. In this study, a rapid and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry method was developed to characterize the chemical components of S. chamaejasme extracts. Based on optimized ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry conditions and systematic fragment ions-based strategy, a total of 47 components including flavones, diterpenes, coumarins, and lignans were simultaneously detected and identified or tentatively identified for the first time. The MS(n) fragmentation patterns of all the characterized compounds in positive or negative electrospray ionization modes were also explored and summarized. These results provided essential data for further pharmacological research on S. chamaejasme. Moreover, the method was demonstrated to be an efficient tool for rapid qualitative analysis of secondary metabolites from natural resources.