Metabonomics: NMR spectroscopy and pattern recognition analysis of body fluids and tissues for characterisation of xenobiotic toxicity and disease diagnosis

Global profiling tools are required to fully understand the impact of genetic modifications and toxicological interventions on the network of transcripts, proteins and metabolites found within a cell, tissue or organism. High-resolution H-1 NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with statistical pattern recognition is one such technique, referred to as metabonomics or metabolomics, which is increasingly being used to globally profile metabolites. This review examines analytical advances in NMR spectroscopy that have aided this development including high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, cryogenically cooled probes and high-through put systems. This has allowed the approach to identify genetically modified yeast strains and distinguish both disease presence and severity in coronary heart disease.