Advantages and shortcomings of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in metabolomics

Metabolomics can not only distinguish the normal state of tissues and organs, but also give the target organs and mechanisms of toxic effects, and identify disease-related biomarkers. The search for biomarkers and the systematic study of related metabolic networks will help us understand the mechanism of disease, so as to achieve reasonable diagnosis and symptomatic treatment of disease. At present, the most effective research methods in metabolomics research are nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Compared with traditional methods, NMR spectroscopy is simple to operate and does not require additional sample preparation steps such as isolation or derivatization. Mass spectrometry based metabolomics studies provide a platform that combines high sensitivity and high selectivity. In addition, the use of multiple mass spectrometry methods, such as different ionization techniques and mass analyzer techniques, can greatly i-ncrease the number of metabolites detected. The research methods of metabolomics are reviewed, including one-dimension-al HNMR spectroscopy, two-dimensional HNMR spectroscopy, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and so on. In addition the principles and main advantages and disadvantages of these methods are compared.