Annals of Phytomedicine 13(1): 469-475, 2024

DOI: [Link]
Annals of Phytomedicine: An International Journal 469
[Link]
Print ISSN : 2278-9839 Online ISSN : 2393-9885

Review Article : Open Access

Metabolic profiling of plant constituents through LC-MS

Lakshmi Rajita Kotta* and A. Vijayalakshmi
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies, Pallavaram-600117, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
*Geetanjali College of Pharmacy, Cheeryal, Keesara, Medchal District-501301, Telangana, India

Article Info Abstract

Ar tic le histo ry Metabolomics is the detailed study of small molecules in biological systems and has become an important
Received 14 January 2024 tool for understanding the complex biochemical composition of plant components. This study specifically
Revised 2 March 2024 investigates the use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry ( LC-MS) to analyze the metabolic profiles
Accepted 3 March 2024 of several plant species. Metabolites are the end results of cellular activities and play an important role in
Published Online 30 June 2024 determining the properties and physiological state of plants. Metabolic profiling provides a comprehensive
view of the plant metabolome and facilitates the detection and measurement of many substances, ranging
Ke ywor ds from basic metabolites such as sugars and amino acids to secondary metabolites such as flavonoids and
Metabolic profiling alkaloids. First and foremost, you will gain a deeper understanding of the biochemical processes and control
Liquid chromatography-mass systems that control plant metabolism. LC-MS enables the concurrent identification of several substances,
spectrometry (LC-MS) giving researchers a complete overview of the plant metabolome. Overall, this study highlights the significance
Plant metabolomic of metabolomics as a revolutionary method in botanical research, particularly in the context of LC-MS for
High-resolution mass spectrometry the thorough analysis of plant components.
(HR-MS)
Omics integration

1. Introduction chemicals. However, as mass spectrometry technology has improved,

like with the arrival of high-resolution mass spectrometry, the range
In the huge and complicated field of plant biochemistry, studying has grown to include a wide range of metabolites (Junot et al., 2014).
metabolic components, is one of the most important ways to find Because it can handle complex mixtures, is very sensitive, and can
out what nature is hiding. This review starts its trip through the find a lot of different types of metabolites, LC-MS has become an
world of plants by exploring the interesting field of metabolic profiling important tool in plant metabolomics study. By learning the basics
of plant constituents using liquid chromatography-mass of LC-MS, we open the door to a better understanding of plant
spectrometry (LC-MS). We will learn about the different types of biochemistry and set the stage for further research into the changing
compounds, how well LC-MS works for analysis, and the useful metabolic landscapes that shape the biological world.
information we can get from this state-of-the-art technology as we
go through the complicated paths of plant metabolism. 1.2 Versatility and sensitivity of LC-MS for analyzing a wide
range of metabolites
1.1 Overview of LC-MS in plant research
The flexibility and sensitivity of liquid chromatography-mass
The cutting edge of analysis methods is lquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) make it the best tool for studying a wide
spectrometry (LC-MS), which has completely changed the way we range of molecules in plant systems. LC-MS is great at handling the
can figure out the complex web of plant metabolomics (da Silva complexity of plant metabolomes because it provides a flexible tool
Oliveira et al., 2022). LC-MS pairs the ability to separate things like for identifying and measuring a wide range of compounds at the
liquid chromatography does with the ability to precisely find and same time (Patel et al., 2021). Its flexibility comes from the fact that
identify things like mass spectrometry does (Raaijmakers and Kiers, liquid chromatography can sort a wide range of chemical species,
2022). With this strong combination, scientists can look into the and mass spectrometry can find and describe these molecules with
chemicals that plants contain in more detail than ever before (Buhner, amazing accuracy. LC-MS goes beyond the limits of standard
analytical methods because it can handle many types of metabolites,
2002). Many important technical advances have led to LC-MS such as lipids, phenolics, alkaloids, flavonoids, and terpenoids
becoming an important tool in plant metabolomics. From its (Ganzera and Sturm, 2018). As a result of its flexibility, LC-MS has
beginnings as a tool for separating and finding things, LC-MS has become an important tool for researchers who want to understand
grown into an important and flexible tool for studying how plants the complex web of plant metabolism in a way that was previously
use energy. Initial uses focused on analyzing certain groups of unthinkable. When looking at primary or secondary metabolites,
LC-MS is a flexible and accurate tool that shows the complex
biochemical patterns that make up plant life.
Co rre spo nding author : Dr. A. Vijayalakshmi
Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, 1.3 Diverse applications of LC-MS in plant metabolomics
Technology and Advanced Studies, Pallavaram-117, Chennai, Tamil
Nadu, India The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique
E-mail: avijibaskaran@[Link] is a powerful tool in the field of plant metabolomics. It can be used
Tel.: +91-9176093990 in a wide range of ways to help us learn more about the complex
Copyright © 2024Ukaaz Publications. All rights reserved.
Email: ukaaz@[Link]; Website: [Link]
470

molecular web that plants are made of. First, LC-MS is a dynamic but may play different biological roles. This skill is very important
tool for figuring out how plants react to signals in their surroundings. for understanding the subtleties of plant metabolism, where chemicals
By looking at changes in metabolite composition, it lets scientists with similar masses but different shapes can have different
look into how plants find their way and react to their surroundings. physiological roles. The more detailed information we get from HR-
The LC-MS method shows the molecular techniques plants use to MS helps us understand the wide range of metabolic processes that
deal with or survive environmental problems, like drought stress and exist in plant systems better. The experimental improvements in
pathogen attacks (Razzaq et al., 2019). This application not only HR-MS go beyond resolution and include higher sensitivity and a
helps us learn more about how plants react to stress, but it also wider mass range (Laskin et al., 2012). These changes make it easier
helps us make crop types that can survive in climates that are changing. for researchers to find and name a wider range of metabolites, even
Secondly, LC-MS is a very important tool for tracking how plants those that are only present in very small amounts (Xie et al., 2012).
grow and change over time. Researchers can learn more about the Especially helpful when looking into low-abundance chemicals that
biological changes that happen at important developmental stages might be biologically important. In conclusion, HR-MS is a big step
by looking at metabolite profiles at different stages of growth (Castro- forward in the field of plant metabolomics. It has improved the
Moretti et al., 2020). This helps us understand things like how seeds precision and accuracy of metabolite identification, and improve-
sprout, flowers bloom, and fruits age. With LC-MS, you can find and ments in instruments have made it possible to study complex plant
measure specific molecules that mark developmental stages. This metabolomes in more depth and with more complexity. As scientists
helps you understand how plant growth and maturation are controlled
keep trying to find new ways to analyze things, HR-MS is one of the
by regulatory networks. In addition, LC-MS is very useful for figuring
most important tools they use. It helps them understand the
out how metabolism works in particular tissues. Plant parts, like
complicated biology of plants in a way that has never been possible
leaves, roots, and seeds, have a huge range of metabolic types. LC-
before.
MS lets scientists look at specific metabolites in certain plant tissues,
revealing the unique biochemical fingerprints of each (Maag et al., 2.2 Integration with chromatographic techniques
2015). This app is very important for learning about the specific
jobs that different plant parts do and how they affect the metabolism When liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS)
of the whole body. Finding tissue-specific secondary metabolites; work together, they make a strong team. This teamwork is essential
for example, can help us understand how plants protect themselves for getting the best separation and detection results in the field of
and connect with other living things (Bulut et al., 2023). In plant metabolomics (Maciel et al., 2020). This part goes into more
conclusion, the many ways that LC-MS is used in plant metabolomics detail about how this synergy works and how chromatographic
help us learn a lot about plant biology. From figuring out how plants methods play a key role in making MS better at doing complete and
react to their environment to solving mysteries about growth and accurate analysis. Together with MS, liquid chromatography is the
studying how tissues change over time, LC-MS is an essential tool most important method because it can separate complex mixtures of
for researchers who want to get a full picture of plant metabolism. compounds (Holcapek et al., 2012). When these two analytical
Not only do these applications add to basic information, but they powerhouses work together, they give metabolite research a more
also have real-world effects on farming, biotechnology, and the long- complete look. LC is the first step and separates substances effectively
term management of plant resources in a world that is always changing. based on their physicochemical qualities, like molecular size and
polarity (Theodordis et al., 2012). By separating the molecules first,
2. Advancements in LC-MS technology
the sample becomes simpler and easier to analyze using a mass
2.1 High-resolution mass spectrometry spectrometer. Chromatographic methods, especially high-
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), help separate chemicals
High-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) is a big step forward in
that elute closely together, which is often hard to do with complex
the field of plant metabolomics (Mihailova et al., 2021). It makes
plant extracts (Ahmad et al., 2020). A key part of getting the best
metabolite recognition much more precise and accurate. This part
talks about how HR-MS has changed things and how its instruments separation is fine-tuning the chromatographic conditions, which
have improved, showing how important it is for understanding how includes choosing the right stationary phase and mobile phase makeup
complicated plant metabolomes are. The accuracy and precision of (D’Atri et al., 2018). The careful planning of chromatographic
metabolite recognition are very important for figuring out how plants’ methods makes sure that each compound moves through the column
biochemical makeup works (Liu et al.,2019). According to its ability at a different speed. This keeps the compounds from overlapping
to measure mass-to-charge ratios very accurately, HR-MS makes and allows for accurate detection by MS (Simon et al., 2014). Picking
metabolite detection more reliable than other mass spectrometry the right chromatographic method also affects how selective the
methods (Pengwei, 2019). Because HR-MS has better resolution, it analysis is. Assorted chromatographic modes, like reversed-phase,
reduces the chance of false positives and negatives. This makes it normal-phase, and ion-exchange chromatography, each have their
easier to build accurate metabolic profiles. Improvements in HR-MS own selectivity profiles (Foster et al., 2022). This means that
equipment help a lot with solving the problems that come up because researchers can make the sorting method fit the properties of the
plant metabolomes are so complicated (Misra, 2021). New metabolites they are studying. This ability to choose is very
developments in mass analyzers and ionization sources have made it important when working with different types of compounds, each
possible to separate and find molecules that are very similar. This of which has its own chemical qualities. There is a close connection
better resolving power is especially important for separating isomeric between how well chromatography separates things and how well
species and overlapped chromatographic peaks, which happen a lot MS can then find them. Using the mass-to-charge ratios of separated
in complex plant extracts (Giesbertz et al., 2015). The higher precision molecules, mass spectrometry is like having “eyes” that look at
of HR-MS makes it easier to tell the difference between small changes them. When you combine LC and MS, they work better together
in mass. This makes it possible to find metabolites that look similar because LC separates chemicals based on their time differences and
 471

MS separates them based on their mass differences (Kallianta et al., Additionally, the integration of LC-MS data with other omics data,
2023). This dynamic synergy makes the analysis process more such as transcriptomics and genomes, is facilitated by bioinformatics
sensitive, specific, and accurate as a whole. As the field of LC-MS- tools. The integration of many omics deepens the analysis and
based plant metabolomics changes, new technologies in both the LC provides a comprehensive understanding of how genetic information
and MS parts keep making this combination better. LC-MS systems is translated into metabolic phenotypes. Through the combination
can now separate and identify things better thanks to improvements of gene expression patterns and metabolomic data, scientists may
in chromatographic columns, stationary phases, and ionization determine the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic alterations
techniques (Pitt, 2009). This constant improvement makes sure that
in response to various stimuli. Despite advancements, bioinformatics
scientists can get the most data from difficult plant samples, which
for LC-MS data processing remains plagued by issues. Constant
leads to a fuller understanding of the complex metabolic patterns
work is being done to develop robust algorithms, standardize analysis
found in plants (Beckles and Roessner, 2012). Lastly, combining
LC-MS is a great example of a working together well, as the best
procedures, and construct comprehensive metabolite databases
parts of each method make the other better. It is impossible to say (Misra, 2021). Moreover, the dynamic nature of plant metabolomes
enough good things about chromatographic methods for separation necessitates the continuous updating of bioinformatics tools to
and detection. They are key to understanding the chemical details accommodate the diverse array of molecules and their behaviors
that make up plant metabolism. (Chaleckis et al., 2019; Domingo et al., 2018). In conclusion, a critical
component of the success of contemporary plant metabolomics
2.3 Bioinformatics and data processing understands how bioinformatics tools may be utilized to handle and
Bioinformatics tools play a critical role in managing and organizing interpret LC-MS data. These instruments enable researchers to link
the vast amounts of data generated by high-throughput technologies raw data to biologically meaningful information, allowing them to
such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) better understand the metabolism of plants. Making the most of LC-
(Sugimoto et al., 2012). This section discusses the complexity of MS technology will be crucial as bioinformatics advances since it will
bioinformatics for LC-MS-based plant metabolomics. It emphasizes provide us with greater insight into the molecular complexity of
how crucial it is to extract meaningful information from the massive [Link] 1 illustrates bioinformatics analysis using mass
volumes of data contained in intricate metabolic profiles. The massive spectrometry.
volume and complexity of data produced by LC-MS investigations
necessitate the use of sophisticated computational techniques for 3. Obstacles in plant metabolomics utilizing LC-MS
effective management. Bioinformatics tools play a critical role when
Standardization is very important in LC-MS -based plant
working with raw LC-MS data. They adjust baselines, cut down on
metabolomics because different studies need to be able to repeat and
noise, and align peaks, among other things. Ensuring the accuracy
compare their results. It can be hard to draw useful conclusions from
and consistency of the data is crucial, as it establishes the foundation
for further research endeavors (Campbell et al., 2008). One of the different studies because sample preparation, data collection, and
most significant contributions of bioinformatics to LC-MS analysis are all very different. To fix this problem, people are still
metabolomics has been the annotation of metabolites (Blazenovic et working on making sure that all parts of the LC-MS process follow
al., 2018). Because researchers might detect thousands of the same set of rules. Sample preparation is the most important part
characteristics in a single experiment, it is exceedingly difficult to of standards. Improving the consistency of sample handling, picking
identify metabolites accurately. Bioinformatics technologies facilitate the right chemicals, and coordinating the extraction methods are all
the alignment of experimental data with pre-existing databases, hence very important steps. Different plant parts need different protocols.
simplifying the process of labeling observed peaks and providing a The goal is to get a wide range of metabolites while reducing the
potential means of metabolite identification (Sugimoto et al., 2012). amount of bias that comes from the extraction process.
This is a critical step in determining the biological implications of the Standardization in data acquisition means using standardized methods
metabolome alterations. Additionally, interpreting LC-MS data requires and adjusting instrument settings to get the best results. This makes
a strong foundation in statistical analysis. To identify patterns, sure that the data generated is the same in all labs and instruments.
relationships, and significant differences in huge datasets, To make results more reliable, people are working on making standards
bioinformatics tools can be combined with multivariate statistical that include quality control measures, instrument calibration, and
techniques (Cichonska et al., 2016). Researchers employ methods performance validation. To properly analyze the huge amounts of
like principal component analysis ( PCA), partial least squares
data that LC-MS produces, we need to use common methods. There
discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and clustering algorithms to uncover
are ongoing efforts to improve protocols for peak detection, alignment,
important patterns and groups (Lee et al., 2018). These assist them
and metabolite identification to make sure that data processing is
in identifying the metabolites that are accountable for the majority
of the observed variations. Research into metabolic pathways is consistent. As open-access databases and standardized spectral
another field in which bioinformatics is highly beneficial. These tools libraries grow, they make it easier to label metabolites and give the
combine databases of metabolic pathways with LC-MS data to provide metabolomics community a shared point of reference. By pushing
you with a deeper knowledge of metabolic networks (Johnson et al., for standardization in LC-MS-based plant metabolomics, researchers
2015). Through pathway enrichment analysis, overrepresented can safely compare results from different studies, which makes
pathways among the identified metabolites are identified. This aids findings more reliable and strong. Setting rules not only improves
in our comprehension of how alterations relate to function (Wieder the quality of each experiment, but it also makes it easier to combine
et al., 2021). This broad perspective aids in our comprehension of data from different sources, which leads to a deeper understanding
the operation and connectivity of metabolic pathways in plants. of how plants work.
472

Figure 1: Bioinformatics analysis using mass spectrometry.

4. Prospects for the future of plant metabolomics using possible to find important regulatory points, which helps us figure
LC-MS out how molecules control how plants react to environmental cues
or developmental cues. Even though, multiomics integration has a
4.1 Integration of multiple omics lot of benefits, it also has a lot of problems. Bioinformatics
Putting together genetics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics data is frameworks must be strong in order to coordinate the collection,
the start of a new era in plant systems biology. It gives us a full storage, and processing of data across multipleomics platforms.
picture of how genes, transcripts, and metabolites work together. Standardizing data types and ontologies is necessary for integration
This method goes beyond the limits of individual omics datasets and to go smoothly. It can also be hard to combine the dynamic nature of
gives a full picture of how plants use energy. The basic blueprint of transcriptomic and metabolomic information because changes in gene
a creature is its genomic information. Researchers can look into how expression over time may not always match up with changes in the
genetic differences affect the plant metabolome by combining genetics abundance of metabolites. Multiomics methods open up a huge
and metabolomics. For targeted breeding efforts that want to improve number of possibilities. They help us understand plant biology on a
traits like stress resistance or nutritional content, it is important to systems level, which makes it easier to find biomarkers, understand
understand the genetic basis of metabolic diversity. Transcriptomics metabolic processes, and find new ways to control plants. Multi-
shows how gene expression changes over time. When you combine omics integration is going to be very important for figuring out how
transcriptomic data with metabolomics data, you can see how plants work as tools and analysis methods keep getting better. Figure
metabolic processes are controlled. This working together makes it 2 presents a step-by-step workflow for plants.

Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the process of metabolomic profiling of plants.

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Table 1: Comprehensive list of plants that were examined for metabolomics using LC-MS
Plant species Me tabo lite s MS-based method
Cucurbita maxima leaves (phloem) sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, maltoheptose, UDP-glucose, HILIC-ESI-QIT-MS
(Vladimir Tolstikov et al.,2002) 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-arabinitol, N-methyl-1-deoxynojiri-
mycin, 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine,
glucosaminic acid, l-methionine, l-alanyl-l-alanine
Arabidopsis thaliana leaves fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, trehalose; fructose-6-phos- PGC-ESI-QIT-MS/MS
(Antonio et al., 2007) phate, glucose-1-phosphate, glucose-6-phosphate, sucrose-6
phosphate, trehalose-6-phosphate
Lupinus albus stems galactinol, inositol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, fructose, PGC-ESI-QIT-MS/MS
(Antonio et al., 2008) glucose, maltose, raffinose, stachyose, sucrose, verbascose
Arabidopsis thaliana leaves glucose, raffinose, sucrose, verbascose, mannitol, maltitol, HILIC-ESI-QIT-MS/MS
(Antonio et al., 2008) glucose-6-phosphate, trehalose-6-phosphate
Arabidopsis thaliana leaves UDP-arabinose, UDP-galactose, UDP-galacturonic acid, UDP- PGC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS
(Behmuller et al., 2014) glucose, UDP-glucuronic acid
Tritium aestivum grains deoxynivalenol, DON-3-glucoside, UDP-glucose, UDP- HILIC-ESI-QqQ-IT-MS/MS
(Warth et al., 2015) glucuronic acid
Arabidopsis thaliana leaves GDP-fucose, GDP-glucose, GDP-mannose, UDP-arabinofur- HILIC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS
(Ito et al., 2014) anose, UDP-arabinopyranose, UDP-galactosamine, UDP-
galactose, UDP-galacturonate, UDP-glucosamine, UDP-
glucose, UDP-glucuronate, UDP-xylose
Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings trehalose-6-phosphate AEC-MS-QqQ-MS/MS
(Lunn et al., 2006)
Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings trehalose-6-phosphate AEC-ESI-QIT-MS/MS
(Umesh Prasad Yadav et al., 2006)
Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings trehalose-6-phosphate HILIC-ESI-QIT-MS/MS
(Chiwocha et al., 2003)
Glochidion velutinum leaves benzoic acid derivatives, flavans, flavones, O-methylated LC-MS/MS
(Syed Luqman Shah et al., 2022) flavonoids, flavonoid O- and C-glycosides, pyranocoumarins,
hydrolysable tannins, carbohydrate conjugates, fatty acids,
coumarin glycosides, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, and
terpene glycosides
Morus alba L. roots, leaves, twigs, Chlorogenic acid, rutin, isochlorogenic acid A, kuwanon G, HPLC-Q-TOF-MS
and fruits (Zhou et al., 2022) kuwanon H, and morusin
Andrographis paniculata aerials Neoandrographolide, andrographolactone, 14-dehydroxy- HPLC-LC-MS/MS
parts (Dwivedi et al., 2021) 11,12- didehydroandrographolide, skullcapflavone I, and 5-
Hydroxy-2¡ä,7,8-tri methoxy flavone

4.2 The functions of machine learning and also gives us new information about how certain metabolites
work in the setting of plant physiology. Machine learning can be
In the complicated world of LC-MS metabolomics, machine learning
used for more than just analyzing data. It can also be used to create
proves to be a useful tool that helps us figure out how complex
new methods and make existing ones better. Based on feedback,
metabolic networks work. Artificial intelligence plays a bigger and
algorithms can change and improve LC-MS methods, making the best
bigger role in finding important patterns and insights in datasets as
conditions for experiments with higher sensitivity and specificity. It
they get bigger and more complicated. Machine learning algorithms,
is this ability to change that helps make analytical methods in plant
which include both supervised and unsupervised methods, are very
metabolomics better all the time. Adding machine learning to LC-MS
good at dealing with the complicated links in metabolomic data.
metabolomics does come with some problems, though. Researchers
These algorithms are very good at finding patterns, grouping
have to think about things like the need for annotated datasets for
metabolites, and finding important details that might be hard for
training models, how easy it is to understand complicated algorithms,
standard statistical methods to find in metabolic networks that are
and the possibility of overfitting. Also, because plant metabolism is
very complicated. In particular, supervised machine learning makes
always changing, it is hard to make models that work well for a wide
it easier to build prediction models for identifying and measuring
range of species and environmental situations. To sum up, the most
metabolites. Using machine learning along with LC-MS metabolomics
important things for progress in LC-MS-based plant metabolomics
makes data processing faster and more accurate. In order to help find
are standardization, multiomics integration, and machine learning.
biomarkers linked to certain conditions or phenotypes, algorithms
Standardized protocols make sure that results are reliable and can be
can learn from trends in the data. This speeds up the analysis process
compared. Multiomics integration gives us a full picture of how
474

plants work, and machine learning improves our ability to analyze Buhner, S. H. (2002). The lost language of plants: The ecological importance
data, giving us new insights into the complicated world of plant of plant medicines to life on Earth (Chelsea Green Publishing),
biochemistry. Together, these methods from different fields move pp:56 -58.
the field forward and promise a better understanding of how dynamic Bulut, M.; Wendenburg, R.; Bitocchi, E.; Bellucci, E.; Kroc, M.; Gioia, T.; and
and complicated plant metabolism is. Alseekh, S. (2023). A comprehensive metabolomics and lipidomics
Atlas for the legumes common bean, chickpea, lentil and lupin.
5. Conclusion Plant J., 116 (4):1152-1171.
Significant developments in metabolomic platforms have been Campbell, N. D.; Vogiatzis, G.; Hernandez, C. and Cipolla, R. (2008). Using multiple
achieved through analytical progress and the improvement of data hypotheses to improve depth-maps for multiview stereo. In
processing. Metabolomics analysis has quickly become an essential Computer Vision-ECCV 2008: 10th European Conference on
tool for systems biology studies in medicinal research, including Computer Vision, Marseille, France, October 12-18, 2008,
medicinal plants. The metabolomes of medicinal plants are valuable Proceedings, Part I (Springer Berlin Heidelberg), 10 :766-779.
for the development of evidence-based new phytotherapeutics. As Castro-Moretti, F. R.; Gentzel, I. N.; Mackey, D. and Alonso, A. P. (2020).
we reach the end of our journey through the botanical world with Metabolomics as an emerging tool for the study of plant–pathogen
LC-MS as our guide, it becomes abundantly clear that the coming interactions. Metabolites, 10 (2):52.
together of technology and biology has ushered in a new era of
Chaleckis, R.; Meister, I.; Zhang, P. and Wheelock, C. E. (2019). Challenges,
understanding plant metabolism. In the exciting subject of plant progress and promises of metabolite annotation for LC–MS-based
metabolomics, the dynamic interaction of recent accomplishments, metabolomics. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., 55 :44-50.
ongoing problems, and potential opportunities for the future sets
the stage for an ongoing cycle of innovation and discovery. Chiwocha, S.D.; Abrams, S.R.; Ambrose, S.J.; Cutler, A.J.; Loewen, M.; Ross, A.R.
and Kermode, A.R. (2003). A method for profiling classes of plant
Acknowledgments hormones and their Metabolites using liquid chromatography–
electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. an analysis of
Authors acknowledge sincere thanks to the Management, Vels Institute hormone regulation of thermo dormancy of lettuce (Lactuca sativa
of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS) for providing L.) seeds. Plant J., 35 :405-417.
the facilities for the successful completion of research work.
Cichonska, A.; Rousu, J.; Marttinen, P.; Kangas, A. J.; Soininen, P.; Lehtimäki, T.
Conflict of interest and Pirinen, M. (2016). metaCCA: summary statistics-based multivariate
meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies using canonical
The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this article. correlation analysis. Bioinformatics, 32 (13):1981-1989.

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Citation Lakshmi Rajita Kotta and A. Vijayalakshmi (2024). Metabolic profiling of plant constituents through LC-MS .
Ann. Phytomed., 13(1):469-475. [Link]