Principles and Practice of ABA Analysis - Abscisic Acid: Metabolism, Transport and Signaling - page 418

Chapter 21
Principles and Practice of ABA Analysis

Zhigang Huang, Mohammed Humayun Kabir, Yuan Xiao,
Qing Liu, Jianhua Tong and Langtao Xiao

Abstract The development of fast, sensitive, and accurate analytical methods for
abscisic acid (ABA) is of increasing importance for elucidation of its metabolism,
transport, and molecular regulatory mechanisms in plants. In the past several dec-
ades, significant technical advances including sample preparation and detection
techniques for ABA determination have been achieved. This chapter reviews the
principles and practice in the extraction, purification, and analysis of ABA. Special
attention is paid to the recent advances in the solid-phase extraction (SPE) and
chromatographic methods coupled with mass spectrometry (MS), especially with
tandem MS. A sum-up protocol based on analysis practice and service of several
years in the authors' laboratory is also presented.

Keywords Extraction · Purification · ABA analysis

21.1 Introduction

Quantitative analysis of abscisic acid (ABA) is very important for in-depth study
of its metabolism, transport, and molecular regulatory mechanisms in plants.
Therefore, great efforts have been invested in ABA assay methodology. ABA is a
sesquiterpene with an ʱ , ʲ -unsaturated ketone in the ring and a conjugated diene
side-chain. Consequently, it has both a high extinction coefficient in the ultraviolet
region and strong electron-capturing properties (Quarrie et al. 1988 ). Since the first
report of ABA isolation and characterization (Ohkuma et al. 1963 ), different types
of methods including bioassays, immunoassays, and chromatographic methods,