title: Identification and chemical profiling of monacolins in red yeast rice using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector and mass spectrometry.
abstract: Monascus purpureus-fermented rice (red yeast rice) was one of the food supplements that had the ability of lowering the blood-lipid levels, and monacolins have been proved to be main active constituents. In total 14 monacolin compounds such as monacolin K (mevinolin), J, L, M, X, and their hydroxy acid form, as well as dehydromonacolin K, dihydromonacolin L, compactin, 3alpha-hydroxy-3,5-dihydromonacolin L, etc. were identified in red yeast rice, using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector and tandem mass spectrometry. A chemical fingerprint profiling method to display bioactive monacolins in red yeast rice was established and could be used for the quality control of the target material and its related products. Ten finish products labeled as red yeast rice from different manufacturers in marketing were traced using the chromatographic chemical profiling method, and the results show that only two of them were similar while the other eight were significantly different from the reference red yeast rice. All of these materials including raw material powder and finished products available were quantified and the contents of monacolins were calculated with reference of monacolin K (mevinolin) as the standard.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai R&D Center for Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines, No 1200 Cai Lun Road, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai 201203, China. yongguoli@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Yong-Guo
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zheng-Tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-Bi
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005285:Fermentation; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D032741:Monascus / Q000737:chemistry; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008148:Lovastatin