Schisandra chinensis (known in Chinese as WuWeiZi, WWZ) has observable effects such as astringing the lung to stop coughs, arresting sweating, preserving semen and preventing diarrhea. The major components of WWZ include lignans, triterpenoids, organic acids and fatty acids. In this paper, a reliable method for the rapid identification of multiple components in WWZ by their characteristic fragments and neutral losses using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology was developed. After review of the literature and some reference experiments, the fragmentation pattern of several compounds were studied and summarized. Then, according to the corresponding characteristic fragments coupled with neutral losses in the positive or negative ion mode produced by different types of substances a rapid identification of target compounds was achieved. Finally, a total of 30 constituents of WWZ were successfully identified, including 15 lignans, nine triterpenoids, three organic acids and three fatty acids. The method established in this study not only provides a comprehensive analysis of the chemical ingredients of WWZ, providing a basis for further phytochemical studies on WWZ but also provides a more efficient way to solve the problem of identification of complex chemical constituents in traditional Chinese medicines.
Keywords: UPLC-Q-TOF/MS; WuWeiZi(WWZ); characteristic fragments (CFs); neutral losses (NLs).