title: Characterization of the Principal Constituents of Danning Tablets, a Chinese Formula Consisting of Seven Herbs, by an UPLC-DAD-MS/MS Approach.
abstract: Danning Tablets are a traditional Chinese formula showing broad clinical applications in hepatobiliary diseases and containing a diversity of bioactive chemicals. However, the chemical profiling of the formula, which serves as the material foundation of its efficacy, is really a big challenge as Danning Tablets consist of seven herbs from different origins. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) approach was developed to characterize the principal polyphenol constituents in the formula. As a result, a total of 32 constituents, including 14 anthraquinones and their glucosides, four anthrones, two naphthalene glycosides, two stilbenes and 10 flavonoids were identified based on their retention time, UV absorption and MS/MS fragmentation patterns. The sources of these compounds were also illustrated. Most of the bioactive anthraquinone derivatives were found in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma or Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix, which are the Emperor drugs in the formula for its clinic usage. These findings indicate the merit of using this integrated UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS approach to rapidly illustrate the chemical foundation of complex formulas. The present study will facilitate the quality control of Danning Tablet formulas as well as the individual herbs.
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines and the SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. zhanchangsen@shpl.com.cn.|Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200331, China. zhanchangsen@shpl.com.cn.|Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Innovation of Solid Preparation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200331, China. zhanchangsen@shpl.com.cn.|Shanghai R &amp; D Center for Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Shanghai 201203, China. zhanchangsen@shpl.com.cn.
authors.forename: Changsen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines and the SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. a.z.xiong@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Aizhen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200331, China. dpshen@shpl.com.cn.|Shanghai R &amp; D Center for Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Shanghai 201203, China. dpshen@shpl.com.cn.
authors.forename: Danping
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines and the SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. yl7@shutcm.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines and the SATCM Key Laboratory for New Resources and Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. ztwang@shutcm.edu.cn.|Shanghai R &amp; D Center for Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Shanghai 201203, China. ztwang@shutcm.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhengtao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D013607:Tablets; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D013607:Tablets
keywords: Danning Tablets; Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix; Rhei Radix et Rhizoma; UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS; anthraquinones; traditional Chinese medicine