This essay discusses the workflow of metabolomics and the application of metabolomics. Metabolomics is the large-scale study of small molecules (metabolites) within cells, tissues, or organisms. Thus, the metabolome is the complete set of metabolites within a biological sample at any given time point. The workflow of metabolomics consists of five stages. These phases are sample preparation, extraction, separation, ionization, and detection of metabolites based on their mass-to-charge ratio. The two approaches in metabolomics are untargeted and targeted. Therefore, the untargeted method measures many metabolites without bias, while the targeted approach measure sets of metabolite. The non-invasive nature of metabolomics and its close link to the phenotype makes it ideal for different sectors. Thus, the applications of metabolomics range from pharmaceutical, healthcare, and agricultural industries.
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THE DESIGN AND WORKFLOW OF METABOLOMICS
The workflow of metabolomics consists of five phases. They include sample acquisition, the collection of metabolome from biological tissue, biofluids, and cell culture. Secondly, sample preparation includes using different extraction solvents/methods to recover both polar and nonpolar compounds. The latter is dependent on the approaches of metabolomics. Thirdly, separation involves the use of liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) to disperse the molecules. Fourthly, ionization is the pumping of samples through MS capillary to obtain positive or negative electrically charged ions. Fifthly, the ionized biomolecules are detected. Lastly, analysis involves the interpretation of the raw data extracted for the proper identification of the metabolite of interest. In conclusion, the design of the metabolomics study is similar to all applications of metabolomics.
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THE IMPORTANCE AND APPLICATIONS OF METABOLOMICS
The applications of metabolomics include the control of pesticides and the identification of potentially harmful bacterial strains in agriculture. Secondly, metabolomics applies in medical diagnostics and future applications in personalized medicine resulting in individualized treatment strategies. Thirdly, metabolomics improves genetically modified plants and helps estimate associated risks through biochemistry via informative snapshots. Fourthly, toxicology by metabolic profiling detects the physiological changes caused by the toxic insult of a chemical. Lastly, metabolomics determines the phenotype caused by genetic manipulation, such as gene deletion or insertion. Notably, the approaches in metabolomics determine the design of the experiment, sample preparation, and analytical techniques applied. In conclusion, careful planning and design of the workflow of metabolomics experiments are of paramount importance.
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