WITHDRAWN: Rapid identification of chemical constituents in Physalis alkengi L. var. franchetii by UHPLC-ESI-Q-Obritrap MS/MS

Abstract Physalis alkengi L. var. franchetii (PA) is a type of edible and medicinal plant in Solanaceae. Its chemical components mainly include steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, and phenolic acids. Comprehensive component identification is essential for elucidation of its pharmacological mechanism and quality control. However, its complex chemical composition has caused certain difficulties in the analysis of this traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a method for rapid classification and identification of chemical components in PA. In this study, the samples were analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS). The UHPLC system used a C18 column to separate the total extract of PA. The mobile phase consisted of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile, and the PA extract was analyzed by gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. In both the positive and negative ion modes, the fragment information was obtained and compared with those of the characteristic fragmentations and neutral losses described in the literature. Mass Frontier™ simulates its fragmentation to quickly identify the target compounds. The mzVault, mzCloud, and ChemSpider databases were utilized to fully analyze the chemical composition in PA. Finally, we successfully screened out 112 chemical components, including 49 steroids, 9 alkaloids, 4 carboxylic acids and derivatives, 8 amino acids, 7 flavonoids, 4 phenols and phenolic acids, 16 phenylpropanoids, 6 terpenoids, 2 piperazines, 1 antibiotic, and 5 others. This study comprehensively analyzed the chemical composition of PA and provides scientific basis and data support for further pharmacodynamic substance studies of PA.