Simultaneous determination of Acteoside, Astragaloside IV and Icariside-I in the Traditional Chinese Medicinal Preparation Shenbao by HPLC-MS

A liquid chromatography-electrospray (ES)-mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of Acteoside, Astragaloside IV and Icariside-I in the Traditional Chinese Medicinal Preparation Shenbao tablets is described. The samples were separated on an Alltima C₁₈ column by linear gradient elution using water-acetonitrile as the mobile phase. Some operational parameters of the ESI interface were optimized. The method is linear over the range of 0.1-10μg mL^-1 for Acteoside, Astragaloside IV, and 0.03-3μg mL^-1 for Icariside-I. The method has a precision (%CV) of <20%, and an accuracy (%RE) of < ± 10%. It can be used as a complementary method for quality control of Shenbao Tablets while HPLC-UV can be used for the other main components (Icariin, Icariside-II, Psoralen, Isopsoralen, and Osthol).