Identification and quantification of Meiguihua oral solution using liquid chromatography combined with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap and triple quadrupole mass spectrometers

• This was the first study that was conducted by UHPLC-Quadrupole-Orbitrap-HRMS and HPLC-tri-quadrupole-LIT-MS for Meiguihua oral solution (MOS). • Totally 46 compounds (21 flavonoids and 25 tannins) were firstly detected in MOS, and among them 14 polyphenols were identified for the first time in this herb. • This study provides the simultaneous quantification method for ten compounds including hyperoside and isoquercitrin (isomers). Meiguihua oral solution (MOS), a classical Chinese medicinal formula, was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration for production. However, the quality evaluation of MOS has not been reported. In this present study, qualitative and quantitative analysis of MOS were conducted by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-orbitrap-HRMS) and high performance liquid chromatography-tri-quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC-tri-Q-LIT-MS). Totally 46 phenolic compounds (21 flavonoids and 25 tannins) were identified in the MOS, among them 14 polyphenols were not reported in raw plant materials of MOS. The simultaneous quantification of ten compounds including gallic acid, quercetin-3- O -sophoroside, ellagic acid, sophoraflavonoloside, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, avicularin, astragalin, quercitrin and juglanin, which were completed in 16 min in the negative electrospray ionization (ESI) mode under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method. Linearity was reached fine determination coefficient (r 2 > 0.9995). Precisions, repeatability, stability (inter-day and intra-day), and recovery were validated and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 2.9%, 4.7%, 3.6% and 1.79%, respectively. This result proved the high sensitivity and efficiency of the method. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of MOS would provide the substantial basis for further quality control and medicinal values.