Chemical profiling of spermidines in goji berry by strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction (SCX-SPE) combined with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS/MS)

Lycium barbarum fruit (Goji berry) have been used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with its outstanding biological and pharmacological activities. Spermidine alkaloids are a major class of bioactive constituents in goji berry, nevertheless, detailed information related to its identification remains scarce. In this study, chemical profiling of spermidines in goji berry was carried out by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Four structure types of standards were used to study the comprehensive fragmentation rules of spermidines. Different types of spermidines were identified by distinctive MS/MS fragment ions. Noticeably, it was first proposed that the co-existence of fragment ions at m/z 220 and 222 was the key characteristic for distinguishing spermidine isomers. According to the structural feature of spermidines, a quick, convenient, highly selective strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction (SCX-SPE) combined with RP-LC procedure was developed for selective enrichment and the MS detection compatibility. A total of 41 out of 58 spermidines were tentatively characterized using the established method, of which 26 were reported for the first time from goji berry. This study provides guidelines and references for the identification of spermidines in natural products.