Untargeted metabolomics, also known as non-targeted or discovery metabolomics, is an unbiased approach that simultaneously detects and analyzes the entire spectrum of small-molecule metabolites. Its primary focus is on small molecules with a molecular weight below 1000 Da, including compounds such as sugars, organic acids, lipids, vitamins, amino acids, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Leveraging high-throughput LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) technology, untargeted metabolomics systematically deciphers the composition, function, abundance variations, and interactions of small molecules within biological systems. This approach reveals how these metabolites regulate the physiological and pathological states of an organism. It is widely applied to identify potential biomarkers and to investigate the mechanistic roles of the overall metabolome across various biological processes.
Applications
Clinical Diagnosis: Biomarker discovery, disease pathogenesis, disease subtyping, personalized therapy, etc.
Biomedicine: Mechanism of drug action, drug efficacy evaluation, drug development, etc.
Microbiology: Pathogenic mechanisms, drug resistance mechanisms, pathogen–host interaction studies, etc.
Animal Husbandry: Meat quality research, pathogenesis research, etc.
Agriculture: Plant growth and development, stress resistance research, natural product research, etc.
Food and Nutrition: Food storage, quality authentication, functional food development, etc.
Bioenergy: Fermentation process optimization, biofuel production, environmental hazard risk assessment, etc.
Marine and Aquaculture: Fishery resources, mariculture, fishery environment, and aquatic product safety, etc.
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