Trend analysis of metabonomics and systematic review of metabonomics-derived cancer marker metabolites

In this paper, trend analyses were performed to compare the different 'omic' technologies and the different analytical platforms and biological matrices exploited in metabonomic studies. While common and differential marker metabolites had been identified using various analytical platforms in metabonomics, little research was directed to review and consolidate marker metabolites in each disease state. A systematic review of metabonomics-derived marker metabolites in different cancers was performed to understand the significance of metabonomics in elucidating cancer biochemistry. The biological pathways associated with the cancer marker metabolites were further correlated to the pathology of cancers. Our trend analyses indicated that metabonomic publications increased exponentially in recent years, with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) being the most popular analytical platforms while blood, urine and tissue are the most commonly profiled biological matrices. Based on the consolidated cancer marker metabolites, it is reinforced that different cancers possess some common and yet distinct metabolic phenotypes, exhibiting numerous perturbed biochemical pathways related to their needs to support cell growth and proliferation and facilitate cancer cell survival.