| Popis: |
Metabolomics is the comprehensive and quantitative analysis of all small molecule metabolites in a biological system under study. Statistical analyses are performed on metabolomics data and the results reveal metabolites whose concentrations are significantly different between groups of organisms in a study. These results can lead to the identification of biomarkers. Metabolomics has been widely applied in many subdisciplines of toxicology to help elucidate pathways and modes of action of toxicity. These studies have also identified a large number of candidate biomarkers of toxicity. However, with the exception of a few more thoroughly investigated areas such as hepatotoxicity, most of these candidate biomarkers are not validated. Validation will require more accurate and precise quantitation of candidate biomarkers in larger groups of subjects. With further validation, biomarkers discovered using metabolomics approaches have the potential to become extremely useful tools for investigation of effect, exposure, and susceptibility in toxicology. |
