Component analysis and microfiber arrangement of Apocynum venetum fibers: The MS and AFM study

In this paper, electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to investigate the changes of flavonoids in the extract of the bast of AV and AV fibers. It is suggested that the quercetin structure maybe exist in the extract of the bast of AV, and then high resolution time-of-flight (TOF) MS was used to further characterize the possible ions. The identification of quercetin in the extract of the bast of AV was confirmed, while it was disappeared or tailed off in that of AV fibers. This indicated that such kind of compounds maybe destroyed during the degumming process. The microstructures of AV fibers and ramie fibers have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and it can be seen that the arrangements of microfiber of ramie were more compact than that of the AV fibers. These results may contribute to further clarify the functions of health-care and antibacterial functions of the AV fabrics.