NMR-based metabonomics: a useful platform of oncology research

Abstract

Cancer threatens human health, thus research focusing on oncology has great significance. Metabonomics is the global quantitative assessment of the dynamic metabolic response of a biological system to some exogenous or genetic pathophysiological perturbation. The metabolites are detected in tissues or fluids by various analytical methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectroscopy. Metabonomics, as a tool, can provide a link between the laboratory and clinic. NMRbased metabonomics offers a useful tool to understand tumour biochemistry and may also has some potentials for tumour diagnosis and prognosis, even when some other disease processes are present. Here, we review NMR-based metabonomics principles and their applications in oncology research.

Metabolomic signature of brain cancer

“…Capitalizing on the latest generation of high‐resolution (HR) analytical platforms, hundreds to thousands of small molecules can be identified and quantified in an untargeted or unbiased fashion from a small biological sample size. In this context, metabolomics has become a promising strategy that has been widely adopted for tumor diagnosis, monitoring tumor growth, and regression, pathogenic mechanisms as well as monitoring response to treatment regimens . Metabolomic investigations have already proved their importance in recognizing numerous disease‐associated characteristic metabolic differences in cancer versus normal cells in colon, leukemia, ovarian, oesophageal, oral, breast, and prostate cancers .…”

“…In this context, metabolomics has become a promising strategy that has been widely adopted for tumor diagnosis, monitoring tumor growth, and regression, pathogenic mechanisms as well as monitoring response to treatment regimens. 29,30,[32][33][34][35] Metabolomic investigations have already proved their importance in recognizing numerous disease-associated characteristic metabolic differences in cancer versus normal cells in colon, leukemia, ovarian, oesophageal, oral, breast, and prostate cancers. [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] These investigations have also been extended to brain cancer studies and have provided novel biomolecular insights into the aggressive phenotype of this malignancy.…”