Chemistry and Biochemistry: Research Progress Vol. 11

Recent Advances and Case Studies in LC–MS and LC–MS/MS Applications in Pharmaceutical, Food and Biological Sciences

Parmeshwar B. Gharat, Pallavi M. Patil, Shivani L. Bhuse — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and LC–MS/MS are powerful analytical techniques widely used to analyse pharmaceutical, biological, food, and environmental samples. These techniques combine the separation capability of liquid chromatography with the identification and detection efficiency of mass spectrometry, providing high sensitivity, selectivity, and accurate compound characterisation. This chapter presents the principles, instrumentation, sample preparation methods, applications, and recent advancements of LC–MS and LC–MS/MS. Important analytical components, including ionisation methods, mass analysers, chromatographic systems, and data processing approaches, are discussed.

The chapter also highlights detailed case studies related to pharmaceutical analysis, metabolomics, and nutraceutical research. The Ivosidenib degradation study demonstrates the importance of LC–MS/MS in stability-indicating analysis and impurity profiling, whereas the rheumatoid arthritis metabolomics study explains biomarker discovery and metabolic pathway analysis. In addition, the almond bioactive peptide study describes peptide identification and nutraceutical applications using LC–MS/MS. Method validation, quality assurance, software applications, advantages, limitations, and recent developments, such as artificial intelligence and high-resolution mass spectrometry, are also included. Overall, LC–MS has become an important analytical platform in drug development, clinical diagnostics, food safety, and personalised medicine.

Comparative Phytochemical Analysis of Leaf and Bark Extracts of Trema orientalis (Linn. Blume): Implications for Medicinal Applications

P. O. Fabowale, O. Agunloye, I. C. Adekanmbi — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Trema orientalis has been used extensively in traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory, inflammatory and helminthic diseases. The fruit, leaves, bark, stem, twigs and seeds are also widely used in traditional medicine.

Aim: The primary aim of the study was to identify and compare the phytochemicals present in the methanol and n-hexane extracts of the leaf and bark of T. orientalis.

Method: The leaf and bark of T. orientalis were harvested from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, forest, dried and pulverised into powder. Extracts were prepared from the powdered plant materials using methanol and n-hexane. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemicals present in the extracts were determined. The functional compounds of the leaf extracts were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR).

Results: The recovered extracts and percentage yields were 8 g (1.6%) and 6 g (1.2%) for the leaf samples, and 50 g (10%) and 1 g (0.2%) for the bark samples, for methanol and n-hexane, respectively. Overall, the methanolic extracts showed higher yields than those obtained with n-hexane for both plant parts. The phytochemicals detected included tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. Steroids were present in the leaf extracts but absent in the bark extracts, while saponin was present only in the methanol extract of the bark. Quantitative analysis revealed that terpenoids had the highest amounts, with 22.22 ± 0.09 mg/g in the leaf methanol extract, 23.38 ± 0.04 mg/g in the leaf n-hexane extract, 22.90 ± 0.03 mg/g in the bark methanol extract and 28.09 ± 0.07 mg/g in the bark n-hexane extract. Higher quantities of phytochemicals were present in the leaf compared with the bark of T. orientalis. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) analysis revealed the organic compounds present in the extracts, including aliphatic primary alcohol, secondary alcohol, aliphatic primary amine, alkane, alkene, carbon dioxide, δ-lactam, phenol and halo compound.

Conclusion: The study confirmed the presence of essential phytochemicals, including tannins, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids and terpenoids, in all the extracts. These findings indicate that T. orientalis may be a relevant medicinal plant for further therapeutic research.

Phytochemicals Profile, Cytotoxicity and Proximate Analysis of Three Medicinal Plants in Kashere, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abdu Zakari, Babayo Umar Abdulkarim, Isyaka M Sani, Sani Aliyu — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The plant kingdom is a source of potential drugs, and awareness of the importance of medicinal plants has increased in recent years. Plant-derived drugs are readily available, less expensive, safe and efficient, and they rarely have side effects. This study investigated the phytoconstituents, cytotoxicity and proximate composition of selected plant extracts to determine their medicinal potential and nutritive value. Extracts of Sassafras albidum (Lauraceae), Detarium microcarpum (Caesalpinioideae) and Echinacea angustifolia DC (Compositae) were screened for secondary metabolites and assessed using the brine shrimp toxicity assay (BST). The stem barks of the three plants were collected in Kashere, Akko Local Government Area, Gombe State, Nigeria. Dried powdered samples of the same plants were analysed for their proximate composition. The results showed the presence of important secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, phlobatannins, anthraquinones, resins, terpenoids and glycosides. Cytotoxicity screening showed that E. angustifolia was most toxic to the nauplii. The proximate composition of Sassafras albidum revealed 62.5% moisture, 71.0% ash, 67.0% fibre, 13.33% fat and 0.79% protein. Detarium microcarpum contained 2.0% moisture, 3.5% ash, 0.83% protein, 6.67% fat and 79% carbohydrate, while Echinacea angustifolia DC contained 32.5% moisture, 93.0% ash, 10.0% fibre, 3.33% fat and 3.33% protein. The cytotoxicity assay revealed LC50 values of 63.1µg/ml, 158.49 µg/ml and 316.23 µg/ml for Sassafras albidum, Detarium microcarpum and Echinacea angustifolia DC, respectively. The study concluded that the investigated plants possess medicinal potential and nutritive value. Hence, Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMP) have reasons for using these plants as remedies for ailments and as food.