Study on the Difference of Saponins Profile of Platycodonis Radix from the Northern and Southern Regions Based on Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

  OBJECTIVE  To identify the spanions of 57 batches of Platycodonis Radix from 9 provinces and cities, draw and compare the saponins profile between southern and northern platycodons.

  METHODS  UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS and LC-MS/MS were used to determine the saponins in Platycodonis Radix. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to analyze data.

  RESULTS  A total of 48 saponins were identified in Platycodonis Radix. Both PCA and OPLS-DA showed that the northern and southern samples were well distinguished, 23 different saponins were found. Target quantitative results showed that the contents of platycodin D, deapio-platycodin D, polygalacin D and deapio-platycodin D₂ of southern samples were significantly higher than those of northern samples.

  CONCLUSION  There are significant differences in saponins between the northern and southern Platycodonis Radix, and the target quantification method is fast and stable, which can provide references for the quality control of Platycodonis Radix.