Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is essential for analyzing biological compounds in health and disease. This article explores LC-MS’s role in cancer metabolism, probiotic peptide discovery, and drug development, highlighting its impact on biomedicine.
Innovative Techniques in Cancer Research
Carboxyl-containing metabolites (CCMs) are crucial in cellular processes and diseases like cancer. A new method using 5-(diisopropylamino)-amylamine (DIAAA) with LC-MS enhances CCM analysis in colorectal cancer research [1]. This approach addresses challenges like varying polarity and poor ionization efficiency and achieving high separation efficiency and sensitivity. It allows the simultaneous detection of 68 different CCMs, providing deeper insights into metabolic pathways in colorectal cancer and potential new biomarkers.
Unveiling Bioactive Peptides in Probiotics
Probiotic bacteria offer health benefits through their bioactive peptides. A novel method combining mixed-mode cationic exchange solid-phase extraction (MCX-SPE) with LC-MS and feature-based molecular networking (FBMN) has advanced peptide identification [2]. This technique overcomes challenges like low peptide abundance and matrix interferences, discovering 25 new peptides from various Bifidobacterium strains. Notably, some peptides from B. animalis show significant angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities, suggesting potential for functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Harnessing Biochemical Interactions for Better Drug Design
The development of new pharmaceuticals requires understanding complex drug interactions with biological systems. Drug−protein or metabolite−protein conjugates (DMPCs) offer high potency and long-lasting effects, especially for “undruggable” proteins, but also pose risks of idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (IADRs). Shotgun proteomics is emerging as a technique to better identify and understand DMPCs, supporting drug development, toxicity investigations, and drug repurposing efforts[3]. This approach helps harness the benefits of DMPCs while minimizing risks in drug design.
LC-MS continues to provide critical insights across various disciplines, advancing our understanding of complex biological matrices and improving health outcomes. As LC-MS techniques evolve, they promise to reveal more molecular secrets, offering new possibilities in health sciences.
*Notes: This article provides research teasers for each reference to showcase the novelties
References
[1] X. Bian et al., “Polarity-Tuning Derivatization-LC-MS Approach for Probing Global Carboxyl-Containing Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer,” Anal. Chem., vol. 90, no. 19, pp. 11210–11215, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01873.
[2] S. Chen et al., “Discovery of the bioactive peptides secreted by Bifidobacterium using integrated MCX coupled with LC–MS and feature-based molecular networking,” Food Chemistry, vol. 347, p. 129008, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129008.
[3] S. Gong, X. Hu, S. Chen, B. Sun, J. Wu, and N. Li, “Dual roles of drug or its metabolite−protein conjugate: Cutting−edge strategy of drug discovery using shotgun proteomics,” Medicinal Research Reviews, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 1704–1734, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.1002/med.21889.
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is essential for analyzing biological compounds in health and disease. This article explores LC-MS’s role in cancer metabolism, probiotic peptide discovery, and drug (proteins) development, highlighting its impact on biomedicine.
Innovative Techniques in Cancer Research
Carboxyl-containing metabolites (CCMs) are crucial in cellular processes and diseases like cancer. A new method using 5-(diisopropylamino)-amylamine (DIAAA) with LC-MS enhances CCM analysis in colorectal cancer research [1]. This approach addresses challenges like varying polarity and poor ionization efficiency and achieving high separation efficiency and sensitivity. It allows the simultaneous detection of 68 different CCMs, providing deeper insights into metabolic pathways in colorectal cancer and potential new biomarkers.
Unveiling Bioactive Peptides in Probiotics
Probiotic bacteria offer health benefits through their bioactive peptides. A novel method combining mixed-mode cationic exchange solid-phase extraction (MCX-SPE) with LC-MS and feature-based molecular networking (FBMN) has advanced peptide identification [2]. This technique overcomes challenges like low peptide abundance and matrix interferences, discovering 25 new peptides from various Bifidobacterium strains. Notably, some peptides from B. animalis show significant angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities, suggesting potential for functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Harnessing Biochemical Interactions for Better Drug Design
The development of new pharmaceuticals requires understanding complex drug interactions with biological systems. Drug−protein or metabolite−protein conjugates (DMPCs) offer high potency and long-lasting effects, especially for “undruggable” proteins, but also pose risks of idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (IADRs). Shotgun proteomics is emerging as a technique to better identify and understand DMPCs, supporting drug development, toxicity investigations, and drug repurposing efforts[3]. This approach helps harness the benefits of DMPCs while minimizing risks in drug design.
LC-MS continues to provide critical insights across various disciplines, advancing our understanding of complex biological matrices and improving health outcomes. As LC-MS techniques evolve, they promise to reveal more molecular secrets, offering new possibilities in health sciences.
*Notes: This article provides research teasers for each reference to showcase the novelties
References
[1] X. Bian et al., “Polarity-Tuning Derivatization-LC-MS Approach for Probing Global Carboxyl-Containing Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer,” Anal. Chem., vol. 90, no. 19, pp. 11210–11215, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01873.
[2] S. Chen et al., “Discovery of the bioactive peptides secreted by Bifidobacterium using integrated MCX coupled with LC–MS and feature-based molecular networking,” Food Chemistry, vol. 347, p. 129008, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129008.
[3] S. Gong, X. Hu, S. Chen, B. Sun, J. Wu, and N. Li, “Dual roles of drug or its metabolite−protein conjugate: Cutting−edge strategy of drug discovery using shotgun proteomics,” Medicinal Research Reviews, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 1704–1734, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.1002/med.21889.
