title: Simultaneous characterization of prenylated flavonoids and isoflavonoids in Psoralea corylifolia L. by liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prenylated flavonoids and isoflavonoids are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, with many biological effects. Psoralea corylifolia, which contains many kinds of prenylated components, has been widely used as a medicinal plant in Asia and India for thousands of years. The goal of this study was to characterize the components in P. corylifolia using a liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-DAD/Q-TOF-MS) method, and to elucidate the fragmentation behavior of the different prenyl substituent groups and their appropriate characteristic pathways in positive ion mode.
  
  
  METHODS
  The calculated accurate masses of the protonated molecules, the fragment ions, the retention behavior, and the data from UV spectra were used for identification of the components in P. corylifolia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 45 compounds, including 43 prenylated components, were identified or tentatively identified in P. corylifolia. Different diagnostic fragment ions and neutral losses were observed in different prenyl substructures: neutral loss of 56 Da (C(4)H(8)) and a fragment ion at m/z 69 (C(5)H(9)(+)) were generated by a prenyl chain; neutral losses of 42 Da (C(3)H(6)), 54 Da (C(4)H(6)), 15 Da (CH(3•)) and 16 Da (CH(4)) were observed in a ring-closed prenyl group; neutral losses of 72 Da (C(4)H(8)O), 60 Da (C(2)H(4)O(2)), 58 Da (C(3)H(6)O) and 18 Da (H(2)O) were detected in a 2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydroxydihydropyran ring; neutral losses of 72 Da (C(4)H(8)O), 60 Da (C(3)H(8)O) and 18 Da (H(2)O) were yielded from a 2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxydihydropyran ring, a 2-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)dihydrofuran ring or a 1-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-enyl chain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This method can be applied for analysis of prenylated components in P. corylifolia and other herbal medicines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Mei-Juan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Ji-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Chang-Yin
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shi-Jia
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shen-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Zheng
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D054876:Prenylation; D029907:Psoralea / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts