Mass Spectrometry-Based Approach in Ginseng Research: A Promising Way to Metabolomics

This review summarizes the current status of mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques used in ginseng research. The review has been explored from two parts. The first part presents an overview of the chemical analysis of ginseng based on MS and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), including the application of MS/MS on systematic structural characterization of ginsenosides and the fragmentation patterns of different metal adducts with ginsenoside for structure analysis, the characterization of ginsenosides in the crude extracts by LC-MS, the investigation of hydrolysis and changes of ginsenosides in ginseng and related prescription formula by LC-MS to provide the material basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and pharmacokinetics and metabolism studies of ginsenosides by LC-MS. The second part focuses on the dynamically developing field of MS-based metabolomics and its potential applications in ginseng related research. This includes the strategy of ginseng quality control in terms of chemical changes for both original herbs and their processed products by plant metabolic profiling to ensure proper preparation and standardization, and the mechanism study and biomarker discovery for understanding the holistic effects and synergistic activities of ginseng.