Metabolite analysis or metabolomics is an important component of systems biology in the post‐genomic era. Although separate liquid chromatography (LC) methods for quantification of the major classes of polar metabolites of plants have been available for decades, a single method that enables simultaneous determination of hundreds of polar metabolites is possible only with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) techniques. The rapid expansion of new LC stationary phases in the market and the ready access of mass spectrometry in many laboratories provides an excellent opportunity for developing LC–MS based methods for multi‐target quantification of polar metabolites. Although various LC–MS methods have been developed over the last 10 years with the aim to quantify one or more classes of polar compounds in different matrices, currently there is no consensus LC–MS method that is widely used in plant metabolomics studies. The most promising methods applicable to plant metabolite analysis will be reviewed in this paper and the major problems encountered highlighted. The aim of this review is to provide plant scientists, with limited to moderate experience in analytical chemistry, with up‐to‐date and simplified information regarding the current status of polar metabolite analysis using LC–MS techniques.

中文翻译：

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液相色谱-质谱法在植物中极性代谢物定量研究的最新进展。

代谢物分析或代谢组学是后基因组时代系统生物学的重要组成部分。尽管数十年来已经可以使用单独的液相色谱（LC）方法对植物的主要极性代谢物进行定量，但只有通过气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）才能同时测定数百种极性代谢物的单一方法）技术。市场上新的液相色谱固定相的快速扩展以及许多实验室中质谱的便捷使用为开发基于液相色谱-质谱的极性代谢物多目标定量方法提供了极好的机会。尽管在过去十年中开发了各种LC-MS方法，目的是对不同基质中的一种或多种极性化合物进行定量，当前，尚无在植物代谢组学研究中广泛使用的共识性LC-MS方法。本文将对适用于植物代谢物分析的最有前途的方法进行综述，并重点介绍遇到的主要问题。这篇综述的目的是为植物化学家提供有限的分析化学方面的经验，并提供有关使用LC-MS技术进行极性代谢物分析的当前状态的最新信息和简化信息。