Diagnostic ion filtering strategy for chemical characterization of Guge Fengtong Tablet with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-offlight tandem mass spectrometry

The present study was designed to characterize the chemical constituents of Guge Fengtong Tablet (GGFTT). Based on the chromatographic retention behavior, fragmentation pathways of chemical components and the published literatures, a diagnostic ion filtering strategy with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS) was established to identify the multiple bioactive constituents of GGFTT. The rapid identification of forty-seven components, including 18 phenolic acids, 8 saponins, 14 gingerol-related compounds, and 7 diarylhepatonoids, was accomplished using this newly developed method.The coupling of HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS with the diagnostic ion filtering strategy was useful and efficient for the in-depth structural elucidation of chemical compounds of GGFTT.