Multiplatform approach important for metabolic fingerprinting

Spanish researchers publish metabolomic study that uses three complementary analytical techniques.

A group of scientists from the Center for Metabolomics and Bioanalysis in Madrid, Spain, have recently published a paper on a nontargeted approach for the global fingerprinting of lung tissue. The team used a mix of analytical approaches – LC–MS, GC–MS and CE–MS – highlighting the importance of such a ‘multiplatform’ approach for studies in both metabolomics and biomarker discovery.

The researchers applied their technique to lung tissue samples from rats with sepsis, compared with a healthy control, with only one metabolite found as statistically significant in common between the LC–MS and CE–MS techniques. The team concludes that this, “proves the importance of applying a multiplatform approach in a metabolomics study as well as for biomarker discovery.” No metabolites were found to be statistically significant across all three analytical approaches.

Using an optimized sample treatment technique, the team was able to use small 20 mg tissue samples in their experiments. The work is published in a recent issue of Analytical Chemistry.

Source: Naz S, García A, Barbas C. Multiplatform analytical methodology for metabolic fingerprinting of lung tissue. Anal. Chem. 85(22), 10941–10948 (2013).