Open Access

Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults

  • Authors:
    • Dimitris Tsoukalas
    • Athanasios Alegakis
    • Persefoni Fragkiadaki
    • Evangelos Papakonstantinou
    • Dragana Nikitovic
    • Aikaterini Karataraki
    • Alexander E. Nosyrev
    • Emmanouel G. Papadakis
    • Demetrios A. Spandidos
    • Nikolaos Drakoulis
    • Aristides M. Tsatsakis
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 10, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.2983
  • Pages: 112-120
  • Copyright: © Tsoukalas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )
Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )


Abstract

Metabolomics, a ‘budding’ discipline, may accurately reflect a specific phenotype which is sensitive to genetic and epigenetic interactions. This rapidly evolving field in science has been proposed as a tool for the evaluation of the effects of epigenetic factors, such as nutrition, environment, drug and lifestyle on phenotype. Urine, being sterile, is easy to obtain and as it contains metabolized or non‑metabolized products, is a favored study material in the field of metabolomics. Urine organic acids (OAs) reflect the activity of main metabolic pathways and have been used to assess health status, nutritional status, vitamin deficiencies and response to xenobiotics. To date, a limited number of studies have been performed which actually define reference OA values in a healthy population and as reference range for epigenetic influences, and not as a reference to congenital metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was thus the determination of reference values (RVs) for urine OA in a healthy adult population. Targeted metabolomics analysis of 22 OAs in the urine of 122 healthy adults by gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry, was conducted. Percentile distributions of the OA concentrations in urine, as a base for determining the RVs in the respective population sample, were used. No significant differences were detected between female and male individuals. These findings can facilitate the more sensitive determination of OAs in pathological conditions. Therefore, the findings of this study may contribute or add to the information already available on urine metabolite databases, and may thus promote the use of targeted metabolomics for the evaluation of OAs in a clinical setting and for pathophysiological evaluation. However, further studies with well‑defined patients groups exhibiting specific symptoms or diseases are warranted in order to discern between normal and pathological values.
View Figures
View References

Related Articles

Journal Cover

July-2017
Volume 40 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

Sign up for eToc alerts

Recommend to Library

Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Tsoukalas D, Alegakis A, Fragkiadaki P, Papakonstantinou E, Nikitovic D, Karataraki A, Nosyrev AE, Papadakis EG, Spandidos DA, Drakoulis N, Drakoulis N, et al: Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults. Int J Mol Med 40: 112-120, 2017.
APA
Tsoukalas, D., Alegakis, A., Fragkiadaki, P., Papakonstantinou, E., Nikitovic, D., Karataraki, A. ... Tsatsakis, A.M. (2017). Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 40, 112-120. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.2983
MLA
Tsoukalas, D., Alegakis, A., Fragkiadaki, P., Papakonstantinou, E., Nikitovic, D., Karataraki, A., Nosyrev, A. E., Papadakis, E. G., Spandidos, D. A., Drakoulis, N., Tsatsakis, A. M."Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 40.1 (2017): 112-120.
Chicago
Tsoukalas, D., Alegakis, A., Fragkiadaki, P., Papakonstantinou, E., Nikitovic, D., Karataraki, A., Nosyrev, A. E., Papadakis, E. G., Spandidos, D. A., Drakoulis, N., Tsatsakis, A. M."Application of metabolomics: Focus on the quantification of organic acids in healthy adults". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 40, no. 1 (2017): 112-120. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.2983