Direct MS Measurement of the Extract of Ligularia virgaurea collected in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces of China

Introduction - There are numerous Ligularia species in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent areas. L. virgaurea has been used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of stomachache and nausea. Objective - To analyse chemical constituents of L. virgaurea, grown in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China. Methodology - The direct MS measurement of the crude extract of plant samples was used for grouping of this species. As the main compounds were available in pure form, the main peaks were analysed by LCMS. Results - An easy and speedy method of analysis using MS spectra was developed. On the basis of the findings, L. virgaurea could be divided into two groups. The genetic studies also supported this grouping. Type 1 mainly includes virgaurenones and virgaurenolides. The MS of type 2 is quite different because it includes mainly ligularol and its congeners. Both MS were easily distinguished. Conclusion - The crude extracts of 11 L. virgaurea samples already collected in recent years were analysed and it was possible to identify them as type 1 or 2. This method was applied to three samples collected in 2009 to successfully classify them as either type 1 or 2. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.