Analytical characterization of herbal biomolecules

This chapter introduces the principles and practice of various analytical methods important for characterizing herbal biomolecules that include both primary and secondary metabolites. It offers scientists a survey of common analytical techniques including ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence, polarimetry, circular dichroism, fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magneteic resonance, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, thin layer chromatography, immunoassays, gel and capillary electrophoresis and DNA and protein sequencing. The discussion of each technique is further illustrated by its application to characterize specific herbal biomolecules, including Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, tropane alkaloids, terpenes, phenolic compounds, glycosides, polysaccharides, DNA, RNA, protein and peptides. The chapter highlights the critical roles of analytical techniques in characterizing the complex structures and determining the composition of the herbal biomolecules to better understand herbal quality and biological action in healthcare and diseases.