Rapid fingerprinting of Rauwolfia species using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry combined with principal component analysis for their discrimination

Abstract

Medicinal plants of the genus Rauwolfia (Apocynaceae) are extensively used as folk medicines worldwide. Its antihypertensive activity is well known due to the presence of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs). The therapeutic potential of the herbal medicines are affected due to variation of bioactive phytoconstituents. Therefore, a rapid and validated method was developed for fingerprinting of roots and leaves of six Rauwolfia species by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS). Seventeen bioactive MIAs were tentatively identified on the basis of their exact mass measurement from the intact plant parts. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the DART-MS data of six Rauwolfia species to identify the chemical markers. Thirteen and twenty-three chemical markers were identified from the roots and leaves which were able to discriminate among six Rauwolfia species. This method was also cross-validated for the rapid identification, authentication and quality control of Rauwolfia species.