Analysis of Saussurea Species from Tibet Using HPLC–DAD–ESI–MSn

An HPLC–DAD–ESI–MSn method has been developed for simultaneous quantification of eight major compounds in eight Saussurea species which have long been used as the traditional Tibetan medicines. The method was validated for sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. LODs were from 0.11 to 5.01 μg mL−1, overall intra-day and inter-day variation was less than 2.70%, and overall recovery was over 98.0%. The correlation coefficients (r2) of the calibration plots were >0.991. This newly established method was successfully used to reveal difference among the chemical profiles and analyte content of eight Saussurea species collected in Tibet. In addition, by comparison of UV and mass spectra with those of authentic compounds, a total of fifteen peaks were identified. It can be concluded that this is an effective method for quantification and evaluation of the flavonoids and coumarins in the eight species of the genus Saussurea. It can be used as an efficient reference method for development and use of the eight traditional Tibetan medicines by comparing their different characteristics.