Analysis of the differential components of five processed products of Cuscuta chinensis based on HPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap/MS and chemometrics.

Cuscuta chinensis Lam., a common TCM herb, nourishes liver-kidney and treats lumbago, tinnitus and vitiligo. Processing alters its constituents, yet systematic comparison across multiple processed variants is lacking. Herein, HPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap/MS coupled with chemometrics was adopted to characterize raw and four differently processed semen cuscutae samples. PCA and PLS-DA screened 14 differential markers (VIP>1, p>0.05) structurally identified by precise mass, fragment features and database retrieval. Wine-processing and toasting induced the most prominent compositional variations mainly from heat action. Flavones/isoflavones dominated distinctive metabolites of salt-processed and toasted samples, whereas carboxylic acids prevailed in raw, cake-prepared and wine-processed groups. Cleavage rules of hyperoside and chlorogenic acid were speculated to clarify processing-induced constituent changes, supporting its quality control and clinical medication.