title: Direct Analysis in Real-time Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Identification of Traditional Chinese Medicines with Coumarins as Primary Characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The increasing popularity of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) necessitates rapid and reliable methods for controlling their quality. Direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) represents a novel approach to analysing TCMs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop a quick and reliable method of identifying TCMs with coumarins as primary characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  DART-MS coupled with ion trap mass spectrometry was employed to rapidly identify TCMs with coumarins as primary characteristics and to explore the ionisation mechanisms of simple coumarins, furocoumarins and pyranocoumarins in detail. With minimal sample pretreatment, mass spectra of Fraxini Cortex, Angelicae Pubescentis Radix, Peucedani Radix and Psoraleae Fructus samples were obtained within seconds. The operating parameters of the DART ion source (e.g. grid electrode voltage and ionisation gas temperature) were carefully investigated to obtain high-quality mass spectra. The mass spectra of samples and DART-MS/MS spectra of marker compounds were used to identify sample materials.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Successful authentication was achieved by analysing the same materials of different origins. Some simple coumarins, furocoumarins and pyranocoumarins can be directly detected by DART-MS as marker compounds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrated that DART-MS can provide a rapid and reliable method for the identification of TCMs containing different configurations of coumarins; the method may also be applicable to other plants. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710003, PR China.|The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines and the Shanghai Key Laboratory for Compound Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines and the Shanghai Key Laboratory for Compound Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, PR China.
authors.forename: Hongxun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines and the Shanghai Key Laboratory for Compound Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.|Shanghai R&D Centre for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710003, PR China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The MOE Key Laboratory for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines and the Shanghai Key Laboratory for Compound Chinese Medicines, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.|Shanghai R&D Centre for Standardisation of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai, 201210, PR China.
authors.forename: Zijia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D031319:Aesculus; D003374:Coumarins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011564:Furocoumarins / Q000032:analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D011786:Quality Control; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D003374:Coumarins; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D011564:Furocoumarins; C517354:horse chestnut seed
keywords: DART-MS; coumarin; identification; traditional Chinese medicine