Endocrine Abstracts

Metabolomics purports to give us a cross-section of the small molecular weight components in cells, tissues, organ, body fluids or the whole body at any moment in time, such that the constellation of molecules and their relative proportions can provide us with information about the functional state (or the dysfunctional state) at that time. From reading such a profile, information might be gleaned that indicates some activity state that is meaningful in the present circumstances. But there are two basic questions here: what sort of picture does metabolomics give us? And what can we read from such data that can provide us with information upon which we can act or progress? A look at the past on pool data in cells tells us we know next to nothing about their role.

The first part of my talk will deal with a review of what metabolomics means to a cell physiologist. It will consider the way in which cellular metabolism is set up, whether concentrations of metabolites provide insight into activity, and how a coherent system is controlled and regulated where any component can at any time assume prime importance. The second part of the talk will consider the use of metabolomics in cancer work, where pattern differences could provide signatures for different types of cancers in the body, or guides to the way in which therapeutic measures are considered in treatment. Of the hormones that will be considered, one has a role in health and in cancer that takes precedence over all, insulin. This is so crucial to much of our control of arginine metabolism in the healthy body as well as in cancer treatment that it has to be seen as a major influence at all times.

It is concluded that we need to understand more about the basic concepts of physiology and metabolism in the body before we can seriously use metabolomics to great advantage.

This calls for new paradigms, and at the very least a much improved understanding of the nature and functioning of cells and organisms as coherent (open) systems.