Themed collection Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics in Natural Products Research


Illuminating the dark space of bioactive peptides with mass spectrometry
With emerging resistance and a lag in the development of new molecules, bioactive natural product peptides are a source of new chemistries to drive advances in medicine and biotechnology.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00057A

Unlocking hidden treasures: the evolution of high-throughput mass spectrometry in screening for cryptic natural products
Natural products have traditionally been discovered one molecule at a time. Here we describe new innovations in the acquisition and analysis of mass spectrometry data that now enable metabolomics-guided high-throughput natural product discovery.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00026A

‘Need for speed: high throughput’ – mass spectrometry approaches for high-throughput directed evolution screening of natural product enzymes
In this review we highlight recent advancements in mass spectrometry that have allowed for more efficient, robust, and rigorous enzyme engineering for various applications relating to natural products chemistry.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00053F

Describing the complex chemistry of benthic seawater: from exometabolite sampling strategies to MS-based metabolomics
This review highlights advances in characterizing exometabolites (EMs) from benthic organisms, starting with in situ sampling methods, then discussing how marine MS-based (exo)metabolomics benefits various fields while addressing ongoing challenges.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00064A

Effective data visualization strategies in untargeted metabolomics
Untargeted metabolomics faces researchers with complex processing, analysis, and interpretation tasks. Here, we review computational tools from the perspective of information visualization and underpin its critical role and importance to the field.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, Advance Article
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00039K
About this collection
This collection, guest edited by Mehdi Beniddir, Nadja Cech, Neha Garg and Roger Linington, is dedicated to exploring the new developments that have been enabled by the application of mass spectrometry metabolomics to the natural product sciences, and to identifying both new strategies and best practices for the field.