Serum Metabolite Range Expanded Through Technology

Analytical technology has identified numerous blood metabolites in human serum that doctors can potentially look at to diagnose and treat health problems.

The metabolites that can be detected in human serum along with their respective concentrations and disease association have been revealed using a variety of techniques.

Scientists at the University of Alberta, (Edmonton, AB, Canada), have analyzed blood components to ascertain the most definitive human-serum metabolome to date. The data also includes chemicals found in the blood plasma. More than 20 scientists at six different institutions used state of the art technology to validate past research. The team also conducted its own laboratory experiments to break new ground on the content of human blood chemistry.

They used the following methods with mass spectroscopy (MS): gas chromatography (GC-MS); thin layer chromatography (TLC/GC-MS), liquid chromatography (LC-MS), ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UPLC-MS/MS), and direct flow injection (DFI -MS/MS) to identify, quantify and validate more than 4,000 plasma and serum metabolites. High-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was also used. The human serum metabolome database, created by the scientists is open access, allowing anyone to log on and find the expanded list of blood chemicals. Doctors can now tap into the collected wisdom of hundreds of blood-research projects done in the past by scientists all over the world

David Wishart, PhD, a lead author of the study, said, "Right now a medical doctor analyzing the blood of an ailing patient looks at something like 10 to 20 chemicals. We have identified 4,229 blood chemicals that doctors can potentially look at to diagnose and treat health problems. This is the most complete chemical characterization of blood ever done. We now know the normal values of all the detectable chemicals in blood. Doctors can use these measurements as a reference point for monitoring a patient's current and even future health." The study was published on February 16, 2011, in the journal Public Library of Science, PLoS One.

Related Links:

University of Alberta
The human serum metabolome database