Rapid identification of bile acids in snake bile using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Snake bile, a precious traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), was used as the major ingredient of some Chinese patent drugs, such as Shedan Chuanbei powder and Shedan Chenpi powder for hundred years. However, there is still requirement for the comprehensive and definite composition of bile acids in snake bile. In order to rapidly identify the bile acids constituents in snake bile to avoid the adulteration, ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) has been applied to conduct a qualitative analysis on snake bile acids.