Following dynamic biological processes through NMR-based metabonomics: a new tool in nanomedicine?

The assessment of fluctuations on the levels of endogenous metabolites by advanced profiling techniques, such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, combined with multivariate statistics, the so-called metabonomics approach, has proved to be exquisitely valuable in a number of areas ranging from disease diagnosis and human nutrition to pharmaceutical research and environmental toxicology. In the field of nanotoxicology and nanomedicine, however, the potential unique benefits of applying metabonomics are only starting to be realised. This paper presents a general overview of this approach and discusses the several ways through which metabonomics may constitute a new tool in nanomedicine. In particular, it is argued that this approach may help in providing a thorough assessment of the sub-toxic and toxic biochemical effects of new nanomaterials, as well as contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which safe nanomaterials modify biological responses.