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Updated: May 28, 2026

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults
Published on: April 22, 2022
Profiling hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A thioesters: unlocking the back door of phenylpropanoid metabolism
Anthony V Qualley1, Bruce R Cooper, Natalia Dudareva
1Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Abstract:
In plants, 20 to 30% of photosynthetically fixed carbon is directed toward lignin and other phenylpropanoid compounds for which hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) esters are key intermediates. CoA thioesters, ubiquitous metabolites found in all living cells (often at trace levels), have traditionally been challenging to measure. Here we report a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) method, coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), that allows simultaneous sensitive quantification of previously undetectable hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA esters and an extended range of acyl-CoAs from plant tissues. This method provides rapid liquid chromatography (LC) analysis (10 min/sample) and the ability for qualitative assessment of acyl-CoAs by MS/MS precursor ion scanning.
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