Metabolic flux analysis: MFA

Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) is a new approach in metabolomics research that uses stable isotope-labeled compounds as tracers to investigate intracellular metabolic and specific pathways. Stable isotope tracing techniques, usually based on 13C and 15N tracers, have emerged as the most accurate and widely used techniques in MFA. By combining metabolomics and MFA, we can better understand variations in metabolite levels, flow distribution, and turnover rates within the intracellular metabolic network. This approach enables the identification of main metabolic abnormal pathways and their biological functions, as well as uncovering the upstream and downstream regulatory mechanisms. This comprehensive insight provides a strong scientific basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying disease development, in addition to discovering and confirming potential drug targets. To understand how to screen isotope-labeled compounds as tracers in MFA experiments, please refer to the summary of the one-stop screening process for 13C tracers in MFA by Professor Dong-Hyun Kim et al.[1].

 

Figure 1. A typical carbon labelling experiment (CLE) workflow[1].

 

References:

[1] RSC Adv. 2022 Sep 7; 12 (39):25528-25548.