Metabolomics – the complementary field in systems biology: a review on obesity and type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Metabolomic studies on obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus have led to a number of mechanistic insights into biomarker discovery and comprehension of disease progression at metabolic levels. This article reviews a series of metabolomic studies carried out in previous and recent years on obesity and type 2 diabetes, which have shown potential metabolic biomarkers for further evaluation of the diseases. Literature including journals and books from Web of Science, Pubmed and related databases reporting on the metabolomics in these particular disorders are reviewed. We herein discuss the potential of reported metabolic biomarkers for a novel understanding of disease processes. These biomarkers include fatty acids, TCA cycle intermediates, carbohydrates, amino acids, choline and bile acids. The biological activities and aetiological pathways of metabolites of interest in driving these intricate processes are explained. The data from various publications supported metabolomics as an effective strategy in the identification of novel biomarkers for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Accelerating interest in the perspective of metabolomics to complement other fields in systems biology towards the in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the diseases is also well appreciated. In conclusion, metabolomics can be used as one of the alternative approaches in biomarker discovery and the novel understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms in obesity and type 2 diabetes. It can be foreseen that there will be an increasing research interest to combine metabolomics with other omics platforms towards the establishment of detailed mechanistic evidence associated with the disease processes.

Metabolomic profiles as reliable biomarkers of dietary composition

“…Thus, there is great need for reliable and convenient measures of compliance in nutrition research. Newly developed methods for determination of multiple serum metabolites, termed metabolomics, offer promise in this regard (7)(8)(9)(10)(11).…”

Novel bile acid sequestrant: A biodegradable hydrogel based on amphiphilic allylamine copolymer

“…The organism response leads to cholesterol consumption, which reduces the serum cholesterol levels. 6,[16][17][18] Polymeric BAS materials, are normally prepared from amine-containing polymer precursors, such as polyethylenimine, quaternized polystyrene, poly(vinylamine), and poly(allylamine) hydrochloride (PAH). 19 Because of the high chemical reactivity and excellent biocompatibility, PAH and its derivatives are used in many biological and medical fields, including drug-release, 20 gene therapy, 21 biomedical microencapsulation 22 , and heparin reversal.…”

“…Because the binding forces and the adsorption behaviors of bile acid salts have not been systematically investigated so far, we selected sodium glycocholate (NaGC) as a model of the intracorporal bile acid salts for the evaluation of the binding interaction and adsorption behaviors. 18,31 The binding interactions between NaGC and copolymer precursors were studied through isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and the in vitro adsorption properties of the hydrogels prepared from different precursors were investigated systematically, including the adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms. The novel hydrogel material presents high potentials in the field of BAS fabrication.…”

Potential Nutrigenomic Approaches to Reduce the High Incidence of Obesity in Qatar

“…Diet can modulate metabolite phenotype, and targeted analyses are performed to evaluate the effect of specific diets on metabolic disorders [75]. Several metabolomics studies have already been performed in the field of obesity and T2DM [76,77]. Metabolites from lipids, amino acids, and carbohydrates pathways are associated with BMI [78].…”

“…Metabolites from lipids, amino acids, and carbohydrates pathways are associated with BMI [78]. Mostly intercellular lipid intermediates, sphingolipids and bile acid intermediates are associated to obesity [77]. Microbial metabolism produces SCFAs from host amino acids, and changes in plasma levels of some amino acids are associated with T2DM [79], particularly aromatic amino acids.…”