Clinical metabolomics in diagnosis and therapy of coronary artery disease

Metabolomics, a hot field of research of life science in recent years, is to analyze endogenous small-molecule metabolites in biological samples for an overall understanding of the characteristics of metabolic disorders. A growing number of studies have confirmed the application of metabolomics for clinical diagnosis and treatment of diseases. “Metabolic fingerprint” of biological fluids can be employed for disease prevention, timely diagnosis, accurate treatment, prognostic assessment and drug discovery. Clinical metabolomics is to measure low-molecule-weight metabolites′ alterations of individuals in response to physiological stressors, disease processes, or drug therapy, aiming to discover potential biomarkers and drug targets. Coronary artery disease(CAD)is characterized as complex molecular events. Metabolic disturbances are involved in CAD progression. The application of metabolomics to CAD is an emerging field. Advances in metabolomics improve our knowledge on CAD in early diagnosis, prognostic prediction, and personalized therapy.