TY - JOUR

T1 - Analyzing Plant Low-Molecular-Weight Polar Metabolites: A GC-MS Approach

AU - Билова, Татьяна Евгеньевна

AU - Фролова, Надежда Владимировна

AU - Орлова, Анастасия Андреевна

AU - Силинская, Светлана Александровна

AU - Маилов, Акиф

AU - Попова, Вероника Валерьевна

AU - Фролов, Андрей Александрович

N1 - Bilova, T.; Frolova, N.; Orlova, A.; Silinskaia, S.; Mailov, A.; Popova, V.; Frolov, A. Analyzing Plant Low-Molecular-Weight Polar Metabolites: A GC-MS Approach. Plants 2026, 15, 445. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030445

PY - 2026/1/31

Y1 - 2026/1/31

N2 - Decades ago, the introduction of GC-MS marked a significant advancement in primary plant metabolite studies. Here, in our review, we will delve into critical aspects of the workflow, spanning the selection of an analytical platform, sample preparation, analytical acquisition, and data processing and interpretation. The exceptional separation capabili-ties of GC, characterized by remarkable chromatographic resolution, render it ideal for analysis of the complex plant metabolome, including the separation of isomeric com-pounds. The diversity of analytical platforms allows the investigation of plant metabo-lomes using targeted and non-targeted approaches. GC-MS, equipped with efficient ex-traction methods and reliable derivatization protocols for semi- and non-volatile com-pounds, enables qualitative and quantitative analysis of these molecules. The stability of derivatives forms the foundation for the robustness and reproducibility of GC-MS meth-ods, and their mass spectra provide characteristic fragments for confident identification and sensitive quantification of individual metabolites. There has been key progress in the advancement of GC-MS approaches to studying plant metabolism. However, the presence of artifacts during GC-MS analysis, particularly during derivatization, is a challenge that requires careful validations, which frequently necessitate additional investigations. The feasible solutions that were achieved to overcome the limitations in GC-MS-based studies are a particular focus of the present discussion.

AB - Decades ago, the introduction of GC-MS marked a significant advancement in primary plant metabolite studies. Here, in our review, we will delve into critical aspects of the workflow, spanning the selection of an analytical platform, sample preparation, analytical acquisition, and data processing and interpretation. The exceptional separation capabili-ties of GC, characterized by remarkable chromatographic resolution, render it ideal for analysis of the complex plant metabolome, including the separation of isomeric com-pounds. The diversity of analytical platforms allows the investigation of plant metabo-lomes using targeted and non-targeted approaches. GC-MS, equipped with efficient ex-traction methods and reliable derivatization protocols for semi- and non-volatile com-pounds, enables qualitative and quantitative analysis of these molecules. The stability of derivatives forms the foundation for the robustness and reproducibility of GC-MS meth-ods, and their mass spectra provide characteristic fragments for confident identification and sensitive quantification of individual metabolites. There has been key progress in the advancement of GC-MS approaches to studying plant metabolism. However, the presence of artifacts during GC-MS analysis, particularly during derivatization, is a challenge that requires careful validations, which frequently necessitate additional investigations. The feasible solutions that were achieved to overcome the limitations in GC-MS-based studies are a particular focus of the present discussion.

KW - primary metabolites,

KW - GC-MS-based profiling,

KW - plant metabolomics

KW - GC-MS-based profiling

KW - plant metabolomics

KW - primary metabolites

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/48f5cc81-74f1-3f6f-ad39-fb662371fa98/

U2 - 10.3390/plants15030445

DO - 10.3390/plants15030445

M3 - Review article

VL - 15

JO - Plants

JF - Plants

SN - 2223-7747

IS - 3

M1 - 445

ER -