Applications of separation techniques hyphenated to mass spectrometer for metabolic profiling

In the last two decades sensitive physico-chemical methods enabling analyse s of natural products mixtures (secondary metabolites and biopolymers) have been developed. Hyphenation of chromatograhic techniques with different ty pes of mass spectrometers is one of the most effective analytical methods f or identification and structural studies of compounds demonstrating differe nt physico-chemical properties and wide range of molecular masses. Various types of chromatography for separation, as well as mass spectrometers equip ped with different analyzers and ionization sources are in common use. Chro matographic techniques suitable for separation of unpolar or highly polar c ompounds are combined with mass spectrometers, the achievable instrumentati on assures high sensitivity of analyses, in some circumstances, even on att omole level. The possibilities for investigations on different classes of n atural products, present in complicated mixtures obtained from biological s ources, so called "metabolic profiling", may be considered as complementary studies in many fields of biochemical and medical sciences. This informati on complement data obtained during research conducted on animal and/or plan t genome and proteome projects.