Field-induced wooden-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for high-throughput analysis of herbal medicines

• A high-throughput field-induced wooden-tip ESI-MS method was developed.
• An analysis speed of 6 s per sample was achieved.
• The method was applied for high-throughput analysis of herbal medicines.
• Rapidly tracing origin and assessing quality consistency and stability were achieved.
• We provide an effective method for high-throughput analysis of herbal medicines.

This study demonstrates the first application of field-induced wooden-tip electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) for high-throughput analysis of herbal medicines. By application of an opposite and sample-contactless high voltage on the MS inlet rather than wooden tips, a high-throughput analysis device is easily set up, and a relatively fast analysis speed of 6 s per sample was successfully achieved. In addition, fast polarity switching between positive and negative ion detection mode is readily accomplished, which provides more complete chemical information for quality assessment and control of herbal medicines. By using the proposed method, various active ingredients present in different herbal medicines were rapidly detected, and the obtained mass spectra were served as the samples' fingerprints for tracing the origins, establishing the authenticity, and assessing the quality consistency and stability of herbal medicines. Our experimental results demonstrated that field-induced wooden-tip ESI-MS is a desirable method for high-throughput analysis of herbal medicines, with promising prospects for rapidly differentiating the origin, determining the authenticity, and assessing the overall quality of pharmaceuticals.

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