Role of Mass Spectrometry in Establishing Safety and Efficacy of Botanical Dietary Supplements.

As in drug discovery and development, mass spectrometry has become essential at all stages for establishing the safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements. Applications of mass spectrometry to the development of botanical dietary supplements include preclinical studies of the mechanisms of action (e.g., proteomic target identification and validation); identification of active natural products using high resolution tandem mass spectrometry; chemical standardization using UHPLC-MS/MS; and studies of metabolism, absorption and toxicity of active compounds using high resolution and UHPLC-MS/MS. Clinical applications of mass spectrometry include evaluation of the potential for drug-botanical interactions; investigation of the pharmacokinetics of active compounds; and quantitative analysis of biomarkers of efficacy during Phase I and II and clinical trials of safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supplements.