title: Rapid differentiation of Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.
abstract: A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS)-based method has been developed for rapid differentiation between Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius, two herbal medicines with similar chemical and physical properties but different therapeutic effects. This method required only a small quantity of samples, and the herbal medicines were analyzed by MALDI-MS either after a brief extraction step, or directly on the powder form or small pieces of raw samples. The acquired MALDI-MS spectra showed different patterns of ginsenosides and small chemical molecules between P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius, thus allowing unambiguous differentiation between the two Panax species based on the specific ions, intensity ratios of characteristic ions or principal component analysis. The approach could also be used to differentiate red ginseng or P. quinquefolius adulterated with P. ginseng from pure P. ginseng and pure Panax quinquefolium. The intensity ratios of characteristic ions in the MALDI-MS spectra showed high reproducibility and enabled quantitative determination of ginsenosides in the herbal samples and percentage of P. quinquefolius in the adulterated binary mixture. The method is simple, rapid, robust, and can be extended for analysis of other herbal medicines.
authors.affiliation: Food Safety and Technology Research Centre, State Key Laboratory of Chirosciences and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Pui-Kin
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: Samual Chun-Lap
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Eddy Wing Yin
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Terence Chuen Wai
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Zhong-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D036145:Ginsenosides