title: Quality evaluation of Desmodium styracifolium using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Desmodium styracifolium, with C-flavone glycosides as main pharmacological effective compounds, is a popular Chinese medicinal herb and has been used to treat urination disturbance, urolithiasis, edema and jaundice. However, few systematic methods have been reported on the quality control of this natural herb.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop a method for control the quality of D. styracifolium by combining chromatographic fingerprints and major constituent quantification.
  
  
  METHODS
  Separations were performed on an Ultimate XB-C-18 column by gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous formic acid. Analytes were identified by HPLC coupled with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry experiments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty common peaks in chromatographic fingerprints were first identified among 15 batches of D. styracifolium from various regions. On basis of this, a HPLC-PAD method was established to simultaneously quantify five major constituents, which was validated for limit of qualification, linearity and interday variation of precision and accuracy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The assay developed could be considered as a suitable quality control method of D. styracifolium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jian-Guang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Ling-Yi
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000592:standards; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D047309:Flavones / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards; D006027:Glycosides / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D047309:Flavones; D006027:Glycosides