NMR metabolomics: A look ahead

J Magn Reson. 2019 Sep:306:155-161. doi: 10.1016/j.jmr.2019.07.013. Epub 2019 Jul 11.

Abstract

NMR has been used to perform metabolic studies, metabolic profiling and metabolomics in biofluids and tissues for more than 40 years. This close connection between metabolic measurements and NMR has flourished because of NMR's many unique strengths for characterizing the chemical composition of complex mixtures. However, a number of other technologies, including mass spectrometry, have appeared in the past few years that are encroaching on NMR's dominance in metabolomics and metabolic studies. In this brief review, some of the current strengths and existing limitations of NMR-based metabolomics are highlighted. Additionally, a number of recent advances in NMR hardware, methodology and software are also described and these advancements are used to speculate about where NMR-based metabolomics is going, what needs to be done to make it more popular and how it will evolve in the next 5-10 years.

Keywords: Future; Metabolism; Metabolomics; NMR; Technology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Metabolome
  • Metabolomics / methods*
  • Metabolomics / trends*
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / methods*