Fingerprint analysis of Ginkgo biloba leaves and related health foods by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry.

摘要

A fingerprint analysis method was developed for Ginkgo biloba leaves and was successfully used for quality evaluation of related health foods by HPLC with electrospray ionization MS. 15 samples of G. biloba leaves, which were collected from 15 different locations in China, were analysed and identified. By both peak analysis and similarity analysis of the fingerprint chromatograms, variations in constituents were easily observed in leaves from different sources. By comparison with batches of authentic leaves, the authenticity and quality consistency of related health foods in different matrixes were effectively estimated. Investigation of a wide range of authentic leaves from various habitats made the quality evaluation of commercial products more convincing and reasonable. It is suggested that the fingerprint-based strategy of the developed method should provide improved quality control of G. biloba leaves and products.