代谢组学基础知识丨Applications of Metabolomics

The field of metabolomicshas the potential to be applied in a number of settings to offer practical use.It remains a relatively young field of research and, therefore many of itsapplications of metabolomics are still only becoming evident. Nonetheless, thisarticle covers some of the present and future ways in which metabolomics couldbe applied.

 

Toxicology

Metabolic profiling of theurine or blood could be utilized for the assessment of toxicity. Severaltechniques are able to detect physiological changes in the physiological samplethat result from the presence of a toxin or toxins.

The information that isrevealed by way of metabolic profiling can also be related to a specific healthcondition or syndrome, such as a lesion in the liver or kidney. Pharmaceuticalcompanies have expressed interest in this field because the ability to test thetoxicity of potential drug candidates via its metabolic effects has thepotential to make significant savings in the funding needed for clinical trialsbefore a new drug is opened to the public.

Functionalgenomics

Metabolomics could be veryuseful in researching the phenotypes that may result from a certain geneticmanipulation in the field of functional genomics. For example, sufficientknowledge about the behavior of the metabolome could help to predict the phenotypesthat would present if a gene was deleted or inserted into the genome.

The detection ofphenotypic changes can be applied in a number of practical settings. As a primeexample, genetically modified plant material for human consumption can beexamined for phenotypic changes. Any changes that have the potential to alterthe metabolome of the organisms that consume the genetically modified materialmay be predicted before they are made available for public consumption.

Additionally, metabolomicscould make it possible to predict the function of unknown genes, by way ofcomparing metabolic perturbations caused by the modifications of known genes.Model organisms of Saccharomycescerevisiae and Arabidopsis thaliana are currently being undertaken and could lead tosuch advances in the future.

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics combines theknowledge obtained from genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomicswith nutritional principles for humans.

A metabolome of any bodyfluid depends on various endogenous factors including the individual’s age,gender, body composition, genetic susceptibilities, and concurrent healthconditions, as well as exogenous factors such as nutrients, other components offood and medications.

Metabolomics can beapplied in nutrigenomics to determine the metabolic fingerprint of anindividual, which portrays the effect of the endogenous and exogenous factorsin the body on the metabolism of the individual.

Healthand medical

Metabolomics also promisesto help advance the current understanding, diagnosis and treatment of severalhealth conditions, such as endocrine diseases and cancer. The field can help toidentify the pathophysiological processes of disease and mechanisms that can betargeted to manage the disease.

For example, metabolomicsbiomarkers in tissue samples or biopsies can be used to categorize and stagethe progression of cancers. The information can then be used to guide theappropriate decisions for treatment.

Environmentalmetabolomics

Metabolomics can also beapplied to characterize the ways in which an organism interacts with itsenvironment. Studying these environmental interactions and assessing thefunction and health of an organism at a molecule level can reveal usefulinformation about the effect of environment on an organism’s health. This canalso be applied to a wider population to provide data for other fields ofresearch, such as ecology.