Structural characterization and discrimination of Chimonanthus nitens Oliv. leaf from different geographical origins based on multiple chromatographic analysis combined with chemometric methods.

The Chimonanthus nitens Oliv. leaf (CNOL). is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used for treating colds and influenza. In the present study, a comprehensive strategy integrating multiple chromatographic analysis and chemometric methods was firstly proposed for structural characterization and discrimination of CNOL from different geographical origins. It consists of three steps: Firstly, the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) method was applied for comprehensive profiling of characterization constituents in CNOL by high-resolution diagnostic product ions/neutral loss filtering, and a total of 40 constituents were identified. Secondly, chemical fingerprints were established by HPLC coupled with photodiode array detector (PDA), and similarity analyses were calculated based on nineteen common characteristic peaks. Subsequently, the nine major constituents, including coumarins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids were quantified, and the quantitative data further analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Thirdly, a hot map visualization was conducted for clarifying the distribution of major compounds among different geographical origins. Also, nine constituents detected could be used as chemical markers for discrimination of CNOL from different provinces. Collectively, these results indicated that our proposed platform was a powerful tool for chemical profiling and discrimination of herbs with multiple botanical origins, providing promising perspectives in tracking the formulation process of TCMs products.