Discovery of minor quality evaluation marker compounds for Chinese patent medicine products using a two-leveled metabolomics strategy

Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) are popularly used in clinical practice. Though the composition is complex, the quality of CPM is usually evaluated by the contents of a few main compounds. In this study, a two-leveled metabolomics strategy was proposed to discover minor marker compounds for different CPM products. Zhenqi Fuzheng (ZQFZ) granule was studied an example, where 15 batches from 3 producers were analyzed. The samples were separated...