Use of Charged Nanoparticles in NMR-Based Metabolomics for Spectral Simplification and Improved Metabolite Identification

Metabolomics aims at a complete characterization of all metabolites in biological samples in terms of both their identities and concentrations. Because changes of metabolites and their concentrations are a direct reflection of cellular activity, it allows for a better understanding of cellular processes and function to be obtained. Although NMR spectroscopy is routinely applied to complex biological mixtures without purification, overlapping NMR peaks often pose a challenge for the comprehensive and accurate identification of the underlying metabolites. To address this problem, we present a novel nanoparticle-based strategy that differentiates between metabolites based on their electric charge. By adding electrically charged silica nanoparticles to the solution NMR sample, metabolites of opposite charge bind to the nanoparticles and their NMR signals are weakened or entirely suppressed due to peak broadening caused by the slow rotational tumbling of the nanometer-sized nanoparticles. Comparison of the edited with the original spectrum significantly facilitates analysis and reduces ambiguities in the identification of metabolites. This method makes NMR directly sensitive to the detection of molecular charges at constant pH, as demonstrated here both for model mixtures and human urine. The simplicity of the approach should make it useful for a wide range of metabolomics applications.