Profiling the Jasmonic Acid Responses by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomics

Metabolomics based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can be used to monitor the metabolite response of plants to jasmonic acid. Metabolomics experiments consist of three important steps: sample preparation, NMR analysis, and data mining. In sample preparation, a very critical factor is the selection of a proper solvent for plant material extraction because the presence of metabolites will vary according to the solvent used. For NMR analysis, an intermediate-to-polar solvent, such as a mixture of methanol and water, is a good choice. In general, ¹ H-NMR spectroscopy is the standard method for metabolite profiling, whereas two-dimensional spectroscopy provides more detailed information on the metabolites. Finally, various chemometric methods can be used for data mining. Here, we describe all three steps of metabolomic analysis by means of NMR spectroscopy.