Amino acids are present in a variety of matrices from biological fluids to plant and animal tissues. We discuss options for amino acid extraction, sample clean-up and protein hydrolysis. Chromatographic separation of native amino acids is difficult due to their structure and physiochemical properties. Most analysts derivatise amino acids prior to analysis which improves the signal-to-noise ratio, provides more efficient ionisation and allows the use of reverse phase chromatography. Since chiral analysis is becoming increasingly important, we discuss chiral column chromatography and the use of chiral derivatisation agents. The choice of detector and parameters is based on a wide array of criteria including whether amino acids are native or derivatised and if targeted or untargeted analysis is being performed. This tutorial review aims to act as both a guide and to provide an overview of the techniques scientists currently employ for the analysis of amino acids via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

氨基酸存在于从生物流体到植物和动物组织的各种基质中。我们讨论了氨基酸提取，样品净化和蛋白质水解的选项。由于天然氨基酸的结构和理化特性，很难进行色谱分离。大多数分析人员在分析之前先对氨基酸进行衍生化处理，这样可以改善信噪比，提供更有效的电离并允许使用反相色谱。由于手性分析变得越来越重要，因此我们讨论了手性柱色谱法和手性衍生剂的使用。检测器和参数的选择基于多种标准，包括氨基酸是天然的还是衍生的，以及是否进行了目标分析或非目标分析。