Chemical constituents of radix Actinidia chinensis planch by UPLC–QTOF–MS

Radix Actinidia decoction and its prescriptions are used to treat tumors and other diseases. Although some chemical components have been isolated from Radix Actinidia, systematic analysis of its chemical components has not been reported, which hinders the basic research on its effective substances and its quality control. In this work, a UPLC–QTOF–MS method was employed to profile and characterize the chemical constituents of water extracts from Radix Actinidia Chinensis Planch (RACP). We unambiguously or tentatively identified 295 chemical components from RACP, including 46 pentacyclic triterpenes, 72 flavonoids, 53 phenolic acids, 24 coumarins, three anthraquinones and other compounds. Most of the chemical components have not been described so far in Actinidia. More than 180 phytochemicals are reported in Actinidia for the first time. 2α,3α,24‐trihydroxyurs‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid, asiatic acid, syringic acid, fraxin, esculetin, 5,7‐dihydroxychromone, esculin, (+)‐catechin, (−)‐epi‐catechin, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid and rutin were unambiguously identified by comparison with the reference standards. Catechin derivatives, coumarin derivatives and phenolic acid derivatives were the main water‐soluble components in RACP. This study broadened the chemical profiles of RACP, and laid the foundation for subsequent research on the effective components and their mechanism of action. This work also provides an important reference for the quality control and evaluation of RACP.