Infectious Disease

Metabolomics in Infectious Disease Research

Metabolomics comprehensively characterizes small polar and lipid metabolites, yielding a snapshot of physiological processes that vary according to the pathological state of cells, tissues, and organs. Therefore, the use of metabolomics can help to reveal specific metabolic alterations and potential biomarkers that are associated with disease severity in patients with systemic infections. Furthermore, metabolomics has a great potential for exploring predictive and risk markers of disease development. This will contribute immensely to the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
Infectious Diseases: Concept

Metabolomics brings us closer to the phenotype of an individual, providing a direct readout of metabolic changes that occur in response to pathogen exposure.

HMT’s metabolomics

HMT’s metabolome analysis employs CE-MS & LC-MS platforms. Our technologies are optimized to measure metabolites related to cellular energy metabolism, e.g., amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, polyamines in most types of samples, including serum, plasma, tissues, fecal matter, cells, animal models and clinical specimens.

Quantitation Quantitation
Over 100 polar metabolites, many of which can be altered in pathogenic infections, are quantifiable with single- or multi-point calibration.
High resolution High resolution
Good separation of structural isomers, e.g. isobaric fatty acids, oxidative products.
InfectiousDiseases_Metabolites

HMT’s metabolomics also supports studies on Covid-19.
To find out more, please click here.

Examples of samples that can be analyzed at HMT

Biofluids (serum, plasma, CSF, saliva, pleural fluid, etc.)

  • biomarkers & diagnostic markers relating to disease severity, stress, inflammation
  • monitor disease progression &/or drug respons
Urine, feces, cecal contents

  • pathogen-induced dysbiosis
  • detect inflammation-derived changes in metabolic profiles
Cultured cells

  • changes in energy metabolism in infected cells
  • assessment of novel therapeutics
Tissues from target organs

  • interactions between specific tissues & pathogens
  • monitor metabolic changes for enhanced evaluation of disease progression

Recent publications

1. Type III secretion effector VopQ of Vibrio parahaemolyticus modulates central carbon metabolism in epithelial cells.
Nguyen et al. mSphere. 2020. 5(2):e00960-19
2. Metabolic perturbations and cellular stress underpin susceptibility to symptomatic live-attenuated yellow fever infection.
Chan et al. Nat Med. 2019. 25(8): 1218-122
3. Commensal-derived metabolites govern Vibrio cholerae pathogenesis in host intestine.
You et al. Microbiome. 2019. 7(1): 132
4. ACC1 determines memory potential of individual CD4+ T cells by regulating de novo fatty acid biosynthesis.
Endo et al. Nat Metab. 2019. 1: 261-275
5. Mycoplasma infection and hypoxia initiate succinate accumulation and release in the VM-M3 cancer cells.
Flores et al. Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg. 2018. 1859(9): 975-983
6. Astrocyte senescence and metabolic changes in response to HIV antiretroviral therapy drugs.
Cohen et al. Front Aging Neurosci. 2017. 9:281
7. Prevalence of Slow-Growth Vancomycin Nonsusceptibility in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Katayama et al. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017. 61(11): e00452-17
8. Metabolite profiling of infection-associated metabolic markers of onchocerciasis.
Bennuru et al. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2017. 215:58-69
9. Profiling of Intracellular Metabolites: An Approach to Understanding the Characteristic Physiology of Mycobacterium leprae.
Miyamoto et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016. 10(8):e0004881
10. Prominent steatosis with hypermetabolism of the cell line permissive for years of infection with hepatitis C virus.
Sugiyama et al. PLoS One. 2014. 9(4): e94460

Resources

For more detailed information, visit our Resources page where you can download the following:

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