Investigating distributions and changes of alkaloids in living Catharanthus roseus under low-phosphorus stress using wooden-tip electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry.

Compared to control soil conditions, low-phosphorus soil was found to induce C. roseus to generate more serpentine but less catharanthine and vindoline in leaves, veins, stems and roots, and to generate more anhydrovinblastine in flowers, leaves, stems and roots. Overall, our results showed a simple, rapid, and effective method for in vivo sampling and direct analysis of living plants.