High‐performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric identification of dibenzylbutyrolactone‐type lignans: insights into electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric fragmentation of lign‐7‐eno‐9,9′‐lactones and application to the lignans of Linum usitatissimum L. (Common Flax)

In continuation of our studies into the mass spectrometric detection of natural lignans and their identification in complex mixtures such as crude plant extracts, the electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (ESI‐MS/MS) fragmentation of Δ 7,8 ‐unsaturated dibenzylbutyrolactone‐type lignans (lign‐7‐eno‐9,9′‐lactones) was studied in detail. It is demonstrated that the characteristic fragmentation allows unambiguous identification including distinction between constitutional isomers. These lignans containing an α , β ‐unsaturated lactone structure exist as equilibrium mixtures of E‐ and Z‐ isomers indistinguishable by mass spectrometry, but it is shown that chromatographic retention time can be used to distinguish between the isomeric forms. Based on these observations, re‐analysis of the dichloromethane extract obtained from flowering aerial parts of Linum usitatissimum L. by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/ESI‐MS/MS led to the identification of eighteen lignans of these types (five lignano‐ and one lignenolactone previously reported along with five further lignano‐ as well as seven lignenolactones hitherto unreported for this plant). The simultaneous identification of eighteen different lignans in the complex matrix of a crude plant extract by a single analysis demonstrates the potential of this method, which will certainly lead to new insights into the lignan composition and metabolism of different Linum species and many other plants. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.