Since the discovery in the 1950s, cytokinins have been considered to play various important roles
in life science. Many analytical procedures, therefore, have been developed for determination of the types,
levels and metabolic profiling of endogenous cytokinins. The primary focus of this comprehensive review is
on the various analytical methods designed to meet the requirements for cytokinin analyses in complex
matrices with special emphasis on gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary
electrophoresis (CE), mostly combined with mass spectrometry (MS). The advantages and drawbacks of the
described analytical methods are discussed. As plant tissue contains cytokinins in trace amounts (usually at
levels below 30 pmol per gram of fresh weight), the sample pre-treatment steps (extraction, preconcentration
and purification) for cytokinins are also reviewed. Finally, the present status and future trends
of the analytical approaches are outlined.
