Recent progress in polar metabolite quantification in plants using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Systems Biology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Metabolomics is crucial for systems biology in the post-genomic era.
• Existing liquid chromatography (LC) methods for plant polar metabolites are often class-specific.
• Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) enables simultaneous quantification but LC–MS offers an alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current LC–MS methods for multi-target polar metabolite quantification in plants.
• To highlight promising LC–MS techniques and their applications in plant metabolomics.
• To provide accessible information for plant scientists on LC–MS-based polar metabolite analysis.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on LC–MS methods for plant polar metabolite analysis.
• Discussion of various LC stationary phases and mass spectrometry accessibility.
• Identification and comparison of promising LC–MS approaches for multi-target quantification.

Main Results:

• No single consensus LC–MS method is widely adopted for plant metabolomics.
• Various LC–MS methods have been developed over the past decade.
• Promising methods exist but face challenges in widespread application.

Conclusions:

• LC–MS techniques present a significant opportunity for comprehensive polar metabolite profiling in plants.
• Further development and standardization of LC–MS methods are needed for routine plant metabolomics.
• This review aims to simplify current LC–MS approaches for plant scientists.