Chromatographic fingerprint analysis and characterization of furocoumarins in the roots of Angelica dahurica by HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn technique.

A high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn) method was used for the chromatographic fingerprint analysis and characterization of furocoumarins in the roots of Angelica dahurica for the first time. Nine "common peaks" were identified by comparing with the retention time, UV and MS spectra of reference furocoumarins. The software "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of TCM" was used to evaluate the similarities of 13 batches of Baizhi samples collected from Henan, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Anhui provinces of China. The results indicated that the samples from different batches had similar HPLC fingerprints, and the method could be applied for the quality control of the roots of Angelica dahurica. In addition, a total of 20 furocoumarins were identified or tentatively characterized by HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn technique, and their fragmentation patterns in an electrospray ion trap mass spectrometer were also summarized.