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Metabolomics Approach in Allergic and Rheumatic Diseases

  • IMMUNOLOGIC/DIAGNOSTIC TESTS IN ALLERGY (JL SCHMITZ, SECTION EDITOR)
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Abstract

Metabolomics is the analysis of the concentration profiles of low molecular weight compounds present in biological fluids. Metabolites are nonpeptide molecules representing the end products of cellular activity. Therefore, changes in metabolite concentrations reveal the range of biochemical effects induced by a disease or its therapeutic intervention. Metabolomics has recently become feasible with the accessibility of new technologies, including mass spectrometry and high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and has already been applied to several disorders. Indeed, it has the advantage of being a nontargeted approach for identifying potential biomarkers, which means that it does not require a preliminary knowledge of the substances to be studied. In this review, we summarize the main studies in which metabolomic approach was used in some allergic (asthma, atopic dermatitis) and rheumatic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus) to explore the feasibility of this technique as a novel diagnostic tool in these complex disorders.

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Rossana Scrivo, Luca Casadei, Mariacristina Valerio, Roberta Priori, Guido Valesini, and Cesare Manetti declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Correspondence to Roberta Priori.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Immunologic/Diagnostic Tests in Allergy

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Scrivo, R., Casadei, L., Valerio, M. et al. Metabolomics Approach in Allergic and Rheumatic Diseases. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 14, 445 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-014-0445-5

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