Comparison of ginsenosides in radix and rhizome of wild Panax species using LC-ELSD and LC-Q-TOF-MS

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of wild Panax species, especially wild P. vietnamensis, which is an important medicinal plant. We determined the types and concentrations of ginsenosides in radix and rhizome of wild P. vietnamensis. Identification of ginsenosides was achieved using Q-TOF-MS; concentrations were determined by ELSD. The most abundant ginsenosides in wild Vietnamese ginseng were of the ocotillol type, accounting for more than 50% of the total. Compared to the rhizome, the radix had 31% higher ginsenoside content due to variation in protopanaxatriol-type ginsenoside contents. We also found an unusual difference in the chromatograms of the two parts of wild P. vietnamensis. This difference did not appear in other wild species such as P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius. Our study provides an opportunity for further in-depth study of the distinctive characteristics of P. vietnamensis.