Fast separation of triterpenoid saponins using supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with single quadrupole mass spectrometry

Triterpenoid saponins (TSs) are the most important components of some traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and have exhibited valuable pharmacological properties[1-2]. Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), considered as a green separation technique, is a potential alternative to LC for the analysis of TSs. However, the application of SFC-MS to the analysis of TSs has not yet been reported. In the present study, rapid and efficient SFC-MS methods were developed for the first time for the separation of both TSs standards (kudinosides and ginsenosides) and TSs from natural product extracts. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison between LC-MS and SFC-MS with respect to selectivity and running time was carried out using a mixture of TSs as test sample.