Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for metabolomics.

A new approach for the comprehensive and quantitative analysis of charged metabolites by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is described. Metabolites are first separated by CE based on charge and size, and then selectively detected using MS by monitoring ions over a large range of m/z values. This technique enables the simultaneous determination of over 1000 charged species, and it can readily be applied to various types of biological samples originating from bacteria, plants, mammals, body fluids, and others. This chapter highlights detailed practical procedures for using this technology.