Quality consistency evaluation of commercial Impatiens Caulis by integrating UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS chemical profiling and UPLC-DAD multi-components quantification approaches

In this study, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array spectrometry (UPLC-DAD) were firstly integrated to qualitatively characterize the chemical profiles and quantitatively determine the major components in Impatiens Caulis (IC), a Chinese medicinal herb derived from the dried stem of Impatiens balsamina. The qualitative analysis revealed that there was no difference in chemical profiles of twenty commercial IC samples. A total of 45 components were characterized, there in 5 naphthoquinones, 3 coumarins, 5 phenolic acids, 12 flavonoids and 3 other compounds were identified definitely. However, the quantitative results showed a significant difference in these IC samples. In particular, the highest content of total quantified compounds was even 9.49 times of the lowest one. Furthermore, the average contents of these quantified compounds in twenty commercial IC samples had high values of relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 15.64% to 98.76%, suggesting a poor quality consistency in these commercial IC samples. Therefore, efficacy related chemical markers as well as the cultivation region, harvest time and/or post-harvest handling of IC should be further investigated for ensuring its quality and efficacy consistency.