Rapid and simultaneous analysis of sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. Using supercritical fluid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry

• Method for rapid analysis of sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids.
• Separations of alkaloids with a BEH 2EP column within 10 min.
• Total of 71 sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids identified in T. wilfordii extract.
• SFC-DAD-MS/MS is an alternative method for profiling of complex samples.

Sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids are considered to be the active components of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. A rapid method was developed for comprehensive profiling of sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from an extract of root bark of T. wilfordii using supercritical fluid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry (SFC-DAD-MS/MS). Alkaloids were separated on a BEH 2EP column within 10 min, eluted by CO2-methanol as mobile phase with a back pressure of 13.8 Mpa and a column temperature of 45 °C. MS/MS analysis of [M + H]+ ion of each alkaloid standard showed that all the pyridine alkaloids produced very similar fragmentation patterns. The product-ions at m/z 206 and 204 were identified as the diagnostic fragments while mass region of 200–500 Da was assigned as the characteristic region. As a result, 71 components in the extract were identified as sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids, including 40 wilfordate/evoninate type alkaloids, 13 iso-wilfordate/evoninate type alkaloids and 19 hydroxyl-wilfordate/evoninate type alkaloids. The results proved the feasibility of SFC-DAD-MS/MS method for the rapid and high-throughput analysis of sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids in complex samples.

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