Analysis and evaluation of nucleosides, nucleobases and amino acids in safflower from different regions based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry.

Safflower has both medicinal and edible, value but research on its nutrient composition was not enough. This study was established for the quantitative determination of 28 nucleosides, nucleobases and amino acids based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis of 30 batches of safflower from different producing areas indicated that the contents of L-proline, L-asparagine, L(+)-arginine, L-serine, L-histidine, uracil, guanosine and uridine was high in safflower. Principle component analysis and cluster analysis found that samples from different regions could be distinguished well, and samples from the same area could be clustered into one class, different geographical environments may cause the differences of nucleosides, nucleobases and amino acids in safflower. The analysis of principal component analysis, cluster analysis and counter propagation artificial neural network show similar results. Then the content of nucleosides, nucleobases, and essential amino acids were compared, and found that the content in safflower from Gansu was higher than those from other regions, and there was a little difference between the samples from Xinjiang, Sichuan, and Yunnan. This research revealed the composition of nucleosides, nucleobases and amino acids in safflower, and provided a theoretical basis for utilization of safflower. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.