Analytical methods for cytokinins

The development of sensitive analytical methods for the determination of cytokinin levels in plant tissues is essential for elucidating the roles of cytokinins in life science. In the past decade, more advanced analytical systems have been applied for the rapid analyses of endogenous cytokinins. This review primarily focuses on emerging analytical methods designed to meet the requirements for cytokinin analyses in complex matrices with special emphasis on high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and capillary electrophoresis coupled with different detectors. We highlight the advantages and the limitations of the techniques. As sample preparation is a key factor in determining the success of cytokinin analyses, we devote a section to discussing sample-extraction and clean-up techniques prior to analysis. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.