Analysis of ‘SHUANGDAN’ granules by high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

An HPLC–DAD–ESI–MSn method was developed for simultaneous analysis of the chemical constituents in ‘SHUANGDAN’ granules, a newly developed drug widely used for treating cardiovascular disease. The chromatographic separation were performed on a Zorbax Stable Bond C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) with water with 0.5% acetic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B) as mobile phase. According to the characteristic UV absorption profile, the information of molecular weight and structure provided by ESI–MSn, 29 constituents which attributed to Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae and Cortex Moutan, respectively, were detected and 28 constituents including 14 phenolic acids, 6 diterpenoid quinones, 6 monoterpenoids and 2 other components were identified, while some isomers were distinguished based on the MSn spectra. This method was rapid and reliable for identification of constituents in complex chemical system, ‘SHUANGDAN’ granules, and the newly fragmentation patterns proposed could be extended to the compounds elucidation with similar framework.