Pressurized liquid extraction followed by LC-ESI/MS for analysis of four chromones in Radix Saposhnikoviae

An efficient pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) technique was employed in extracting chromones from the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Radix Saposhnikoviae). Chromones were quantified and analyzed by LC-ESI/MS. The PLE procedure was optimized, validated and compared with the other conventional extraction techniques. PLE gained the best result due to the highest extraction efficiency within the shortest extraction time. The optimal conditions of PLE were employing 50% ethanol as the extraction solvent at a temperature of 140 degrees C and an extraction pressure of 1500 psi, using one extraction cycle with a static extraction time of 8 min. A good LC separation was achieved using a Hypersil ODS2 column and methanol/water as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. MS coupling with an ESI interface in the positive ion mode was used as the detection technique. This is the first report on combining PLE with LC-ESI/MS for the extraction and quantification of chromones in Radix Saposhnikoviae. The elaborated PLE method also provided a good alternative for the chromone extraction from other plant substances.