Methods Used to Increase The Comprehensive Coverage of Urinary and Plasma Metabolomes by MS

Abstract

Metabolomics, focusing on comprehensive analysis of all the metabolites in a biological system, provides a direct signature of biochemical activity. Using emerging technologies in MS, it is possible to simultaneously and rapidly analyze thousands of metabolites. However, due to the chemical and physical diversity of metabolites, it is difficult to acquire a comprehensive and reliable profiling of the whole metabolome. Here, we summarize the state of the art in metabolomics research, focusing on efforts to provide a more comprehensive metabolome coverage via improvements in two fundamental processes: sample preparation and MS analysis. Additionally, the reliable analysis is also highlighted via the combinations of multiple methods (e.g., targeted and untargeted approaches), and analytical quality control and calibration methods.

Keywords::

• comprehensive coverage
• data quality
• MS
• plama
• reliability
• sample preparation
• targeted metabolomics
• untargeted metabolomics
• urine

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The financial support is from the national research programs, such as: The National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2014AA021101), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21335007, No. 30873195, No. 21175154). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript through Bioedit Scientific Editing, which was funded by the national research program ‘the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2014AA021101)’.