Drugs don't always stop cancer cells from growing, but they often mess with their metabolism. Scientists used a high-tech method, called metabolomics, to see how 1, 520 drugs affected 2, 269 potential metabolites in A549 lung cancer cells. Even though only 26% of the drugs slowed down cell growth, a whopping 86% caused changes inside the cells. These changes were sim...
Lung cancer is a serious health issue worldwide, and detecting it early can be tough. One interesting way scientists are tackling this is by looking at something we do every day: breathing. The condensed version of our breath that comes from our lungs and airways can be collected without any invasive procedures. In a study, researchers aimed to find differences in th...
Scientists often use stem cells to make artificial bones, but making sure these cells develop properly can be tricky. They've tried using omics technologies, like metabolomics, to check their quality. In a recent study, researchers combined metabolomics with machine learning to see if it could tell the difference between stem cells that became bone-like and those tha...
Imagine a world where your urine can tell tales about what you've been drinking. That's precisely what scientists in Spain aimed to uncover. They explored how regular wine consumption affects human urine, using two methods: targeted and untargeted metabolomics. This wasn't your everyday questionnaire study; instead, they got creative with urine samples from a bunch o...
Have you ever wondered how scientists sort out massive amounts of data from health tests? They usually use something called mass spectrometry, which helps break down complex biological samples. However, this process can be slow and tricky, making it tough to study big groups of people. Enter PeakMeister, a new tool that makes this job faster and easier. Think of it l...
Fresh-cut fruits are popular for their convenience and nutritional value, but their shelf life is often short due to tissue damage. To tackle this issue, scientists have developed a special film made from cornstarch. This film can trap ethylene, a gas that makes fruits ripen too quickly, and also acts as an antioxidant to prevent spoilage. The film was tested on fres...
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant worldwide health issue that lacks effective treatments. Scientists are still trying to grasp the biochemical pathways that cause this disorder. This is where metabolomics comes in—it's a promising method to understand the metabolic changes linked to AUD. Blood contains a wealth of bioactive molecules that mirror the body's...
Ever come across Primary Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy, commonly known as PHO? This rare genetic condition affects both bones and skin. Scientists have discovered that a significant chemical named prostaglandin E2, or PGE2 for simplicity, is crucial in this condition. But that's not all—they're also looking into other important chemicals like eicosanoids and oxylipin...
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a tough-to-treat gut disorder. Enter Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD), an oldie-but-goodie Chinese medicine mix. It's been shown to help, but how? Scientists combined metabolomics and network pharmacology to find out. First, they spotted metabolites that changed in mice with UC, then traced the metabolic paths. Next, they built a protein netw...
Black tea, a beloved beverage made from the Camellia sinensis plant, undergoes several processing stages that significantly alter its quality and taste. These stages include withering, fermentation, and temperature control. Scientists used a special design called U15 (157) to figure out the best conditions for these steps. After testing, they found that 14 hours ...