METABOLOMICS

We offer untargeted analyses of metabolites in various biological matrices and basic statistical evaluation of the data.

The goal of untargeted metabolomics is to cover the widest possible spectrum of metabolites present in the sample, their identification, and quantification. The development of this approach was made possible by the recent advances in instrumentation and computing. Our laboratory equipment enables non-targeted analyses by liquid and gas chromatography.

 
HPLC-MS/MS: Analyses are performed on Thermo Scientific equipment on an Ultimate 3000 liquid chromatograph coupled to an Orbitrap Fusion and Orbitrap Ascend mass detector. The measured data are evaluated by the Compound Discoverer software.

 
GCxGC-MS: Analyzes are performed on a two-dimensional comprehensive chromatograph connected to a Pegasus 4D mass detector. We evaluate the data in ChromaTOF v4.5 software.

 
The liquid chromatography method covers non-volatile substances, generally polar, soluble in water, and polar organic solvents (methanol, acetonitrile...). The gas chromatography method is more suitable for analyzing stable volatile non-polar substances up to a weight of approx. 1000 Da. The range of measured substances can be increased for both methods eg., by chemical modifications (derivatization) of the analyzed molecules, which adjust their polarity and volatility (for GC) and/or stability (for LC). We choose a suitable technique or a combination of several techniques based on prior consultation with the customer.

The untargeted analysis results in a list of substances found in the samples, a proposal of probable structures, and an indication of the quantity of individual compounds. We also provide a basic statistical evaluation focusing on looking for differences between the tested sample groups.