A combined HPLC-PDA and HPLC-MS method for quantitative and qualitative analysis of 10 major constituents in the traditional Chinese medicine Zuo Gui Wan

Abstract A method using a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with a photodiode array UV detector (HPLC-DAD) and an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (HPLC-ESI/MS) was developed for the quality assessment (fingerprinting and simultaneous quantification of 10 major constituents) of Zuo Gui Wan (ZGW), a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The compounds were identified on the basis of comparison of their mass spectra with literature data and standard samples and quantified by the HPLC-DAD method. Baseline separation was achieved on an ODS-100V C 18 column (3.0 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm I.D.) with linear gradient elution of acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid. The method was validated for linearity ( r 2  > 0.9996), repeatability (R.S.D.