Geographical discrimination of Glechomae Herba based on fifteen phenolic constituents determined by LC-MS/MS method combined with chemometric methods.

Glechomae Herba (GH) is rich in bioactive phenolic constituents and is widely used for treatment of cholelithiasis, urolithiasis and dropsy. The simultaneous determination of phenolic constituents in GH from different geographical origins is significant for authentication and quality control purposes. In this study, we developed a strategy integrating targeted analysis and chemometric methods for quality evaluation and discrimination of GH from different geographical origins. Firstly, an accurate and reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for simultaneous quantification of 15 phenolic constituents in GH from different geographical origins. The established method was well validated in terms of desirable specificity, linearity, precision and accuracy. Secondly, the quantitative data were subjected to principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Thirdly, a heatmap visualization was employed for clarifying the distribution of 15 phenolic compounds in GH from different geographical origins. These results indicated that GH samples from Shandong province obviously differ from those from other provinces in the content of bioactive phenolic constituents. Collectively, the proposed platform might be a suitable tool for quality evaluation and discrimination of GH from different geographical origins, providing promising perspectives in tracking the formulation processes of traditional Chinese medicine products.