A vortex-enhanced magnetic solid phase extraction for the selective enrichment of four quaternary ammonium alkaloids from Zanthoxyli Radix

•Fe3O4@C@CMCS MNP was firstly prepared, of which carboxyl groups (–COOH) was modified on the surface of Fe3O4@C MNP.•VE-MSPE was established applying Fe3O4@C@CMCS MNP as adsorbent.•The established method was to extract components fromZanthoxyli Radix.•The Fe3O4@C@CMCS magnetic adsorbent could be reused 10 times. Zanthoxyli Radix, the dried root of Zanthozylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC, one of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), exhibits various pharmacological activities such as anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, analgesic activity. A sustainable vortex-enhanced magnetic solid phase extraction (VE-MSPE) method combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) was established to enrich and analyze the bioactive quaternary ammonium alkaloids (QAAs) of Zanthoxyli Radix. Fe3O4@C@CMCS magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was first synthesized for selectively adsorbing target QAAs (magnolinine, sanguinarine, nitidine chloride and chelerythrine), which possess excellent adsorption performance after being reused 10 times. The results revealed that the great adsorption rate of Fe3O4@C@CMCS MNPs for the four QAAs could reach 55.1–78.7 %. In addition, a reliable linear relationship (r ≥ 0.9995) and good recovery (97.5–104 %) was obtained. Consequently, the VE-MSPE method applying Fe3O4@C@CMCS MNPs as a sustainable adsorbent exhibited great potential in the selective enrichment of QAAs in TCM.