Metabonomics Application in Maternal-fetal Medicine

LI Xing; CHANG Ying; CHEN Xu

Abstract：Metabonomics refers to the study of dynamic system responses of multiple endogenous body metabolites to a stressor, pathophysiological stimuli, or genetic modification, it is a research field concerned with developing methods for analysis of low molecular weight compounds in biological systems, such as cells, organs or organisms. Maternal metabolism during pregnancy is a major determinant of the intrauterine environment and fetal outcomes, which can affect fetal outcomes. Given the recognized lack of prenatal clinical methods for the early diagnosis of pregnancy-related diseases, and the continuing need for optimized diagnosis methods for specific chromosomal disorders (e.g. trisomy 21) and fetal malformations, many research sought specific metabolic signatures of these conditions. The application of metabonomics to maternal-fetal medicine research will help to predictive disease biomarkers and interpret the pathogenesis. In addition, it can also provide the theoretical and experimental support for prevention and treatment of pregnancy-related diseases as well as the prognosis of mothers and their infants. Review the current and potential applications of metabolomics in pregnancy-related diseases.