A simple and environmentally-friendly method by pipette-tip matrix solid-phase dispersion microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of lignans and terpenes

A simple and efficient ultra-miniaturized pipette-tip matrix solid-phase dispersion microextraction using molecular sieve as adsorbent has been developed to simultaneously determine honokiol, magnolol, costunlide and dehydrocostus lactone in a complex Chinese medicine. The types of adsorbent and elution solventswere optimized by single factor experiment. Adsorbent/sample ratio, grinding time and elution volume were optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimum extraction is: using SBA-3 as an adsorbent, 200 mu L of methanol as elution solvent, 2:1 of sample/adsorbent ratio and 130 s of grinding time. The proposed method applied in real samples provides good linearity (R-2 > 0.9999), sufficient accuracy, high reproducibility (RSD<4.93%) and satisfactory recoveries (91.4%-101.4%). Compared with the conventional methods, it is featured with a tiny amount of sample and adsorbent consumption (3 mg of sample and 6 mg of SBA-3) which accompanied with the advantage of rapid, simple, cheap and environment-friendly. Moreover, it shows great potential on analyzing precious or rare amounts of complicated samples.

Automated summary

An ultra-miniaturized pipette-tip matrix solid-phase dispersion microextraction method using molecular sieve as adsorbent was developed to determine multiple components in a complex Chinese medicine. Optimization of adsorbent and elution solvent types, as well as extraction conditions, showed good analytical performance and environmental advantages.