Determination and quantification of astragalosides in Radix Astragali and its medicinal products using LC–MS

Abstract In the present study, a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the separation and simultaneous quantification of astragalosides I–IV in samples of Radix Astragali and a medicinal product thereof (Jinqi Jiangtang tablets). Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent Eclipse XDB (ODS)‐C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.05% formic acid aqueous solution by use of an efficient 17‐min program. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in positive ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring for the detection of four astragalosides. The saponin ginsenoside Rg1 (similar structure to astralagosides) was used as an internal standard. All calibration curves showed excellent linear regressions ( r 2 ⪈ 0.9912) within the range of tested concentrations. The intra‐ and inter‐day variations were below 4.57% in terms of RSD. The recoveries were 94.38–103.53% with RSD of 1.39–3.58% for spiked Radix Astragali samples. The method was successfully used for the analysis of samples of Radix Astragali and Jinqi Jiangtang tablets. In conclusion, we have developed a rapid, efficient, and accurate LC–MS/MS method for the detection of astragalosides, which can be applied for quality control of Radix Astragali and related medicinal products.