Title | Metabolite Measurement: Pitfalls to Avoid and Practices to Follow. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Lu, W, Su, X, Klein, MS, Lewis, IA, Fiehn, O, Rabinowitz, JD |
Journal | Annu Rev Biochem |
Volume | 86 |
Pagination | 277-304 |
Date Published | 2017 06 20 |
ISSN | 1545-4509 |
Keywords | Adenosine Triphosphate, Animals, Chromatography, Liquid, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Glutathione, Guidelines as Topic, Humans, Liquid Phase Microextraction, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Metabolomics, Mice, NADP, Solvents |
Abstract | <p>Metabolites are the small biological molecules involved in energy conversion and biosynthesis. Studying metabolism is inherently challenging due to metabolites' reactivity, structural diversity, and broad concentration range. Herein, we review the common pitfalls encountered in metabolomics and provide concrete guidelines for obtaining accurate metabolite measurements, focusing on water-soluble primary metabolites. We show how seemingly straightforward sample preparation methods can introduce systematic errors (e.g., owing to interconversion among metabolites) and how proper selection of quenching solvent (e.g., acidic acetonitrile:methanol:water) can mitigate such problems. We discuss the specific strengths, pitfalls, and best practices for each common analytical platform: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and enzyme assays. Together this information provides a pragmatic knowledge base for carrying out biologically informative metabolite measurements.</p> |
DOI | 10.1146/annurev-biochem-061516-044952 |
Alternate Journal | Annu Rev Biochem |
PubMed ID | 28654323 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5734093 |
Grant List | DP1 DK113643 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States U24 DK097154 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States R01 CA163591 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States R50 CA211437 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States P30 DK019525 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States |