Abstract
A comprehensive and sensitive method combining ultra-performance liquid chromatography
with tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the quantification of characteristic
triterpenoids in
Ganoderma mycelia. Eight ganoderic acids previously isolated from the mycelia of Ganoderma lingzhi were separated with a binary mobile phase on a reversed-phase C18 column. A
triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source
was used as the detector in the negative ion mode. Identification and quantitation
of target ganoderic
acids were accomplished using the dynamic multiple reaction monitoring mode. The developed
method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, stability, and recovery.
The
method was first applied to quantify the contents of eight ganoderic acids in the
mycelia of G. lingzhi at different times to determine the optimum fermentation conditions.
Subsequently, the distribution of triterpenoids and the contents of eight ganoderic
acids in sixteen different Ganoderma species were investigated. The results indicated that UV
chromatography combined with dynamic multiple reaction monitoring quantification was
an effective chemotaxonomy method for Ganoderma species identification. This study also provided a
helpful analytical methodology for both scientific and industrial applications in
the quality control of Ganoderma triterpenoids.
Key words
Ganodermataceae
-
Polyporales
- ganoderic acids - static fermentation - quantitative analysis - chemotaxonomy