Capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry of hydrophilic metabolomics

Metabolomics is defined as the comprehensive identification and quantification of small molecules that provide a holistic view of cellular metabolism. The metabolomic network is downstream of the central dogma that transfers regulatory information from the genome. The metabolomic profile, that is, concentration patterns of metabolites on metabolic pathways, can be expected to directly reflect cellular phenotype. Thus, metabolomics has been used for many biomarker discoveries for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, myocardial infarctions, and cancers. However, there are large limitations in the measurement technologies, compared to the other omics. Currently, a single analytical methodology cannot profile whole metabolites and various methods should be used to monitor the wide range of metabolic pathways. Here, we introduce metabolomics using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry which is suitable for hydrophilic metabolite quantifications.