Application of Mass Spectrometry for Analysis of Nucleobases, Nucleosides and Nucleotides in Tea and Selected Herbs: A Critical Review of the Mass Spectrometric Data.

The main and most commonly known biological function of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides is usually associated with the fact that they are the building blocks of nucleic acids. However, these compounds also belong to plant secondary metabolites, although in that role they have attracted less attention than the others, e.g., terpenes, phenolics, or alkaloids. The former compounds are also important constituents of the human diet, e.g., as ingredients of tea and herbs, endowing them with specific taste qualities and pharmacological activities. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry seems to be the most important analytical method that permits the identification and determination of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides, along with the other metabolites. The main goal of this review is to discuss in detail the aspects of mass spectrometric detection of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides in tea and selected herbs. An important conclusion is that the identification of the compounds of interest should be performed not only on the basis of [M + H]