The rapid identification of chemical constituents in Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule, a modern Chinese medicine, by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry and data mining strategy.

Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule is an effective Chinese medicine widely used for the treatment of cold and influenza. However, its chemical constituents had not been determined, which entailed a huge obstacle to further pharmacological studies, clinical-safe medication administration, and quality evaluation. To identify the chemical constituents in Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule, an efficient and systematic approach using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in conjunction with a data mining strategy was adopted in this study. As a result, 145 compounds were qualitatively identified, including 26 phenolic acids, 46 flavonoids, 39 triterpenes, and 34 other compounds, among which 6 were potentially new and 144 were being reported from Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule for the first time. This research not only provides useful information for quality control of Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule and its involved single herbs but also serve as basis data for further study of Fufang Xiling Jiedu capsule in vivo. Moreover, it provides a reference for the characterization of the chemical constituents of other Chinese medicine preparations.