Building a chemical blueprint for human blood

Sagnik Nag, Amity University Kolkata

 Our blood serves as an imperative circulatory fluid transporting many chemical substances and respiratory gases throughout the body. There are certain molecules present in the blood which serve as markers providing indications towards the state of our health. Molecules such as hormones and drugs directly or indirectly affect the health by regulating processes such as metabolism and immune responses. Bar et al. 2020 shed light on certain related biomarkers and the factors which affect their constitutive proportions in the blood. The list of the moderating factors for a single molecule is difficult to determine easily. They can range from genetics to diet, medical conditions, history and gut microorganisms also could have a major role. Needless to say, certain factors can interact with each other, as is the case for trimethylamine oxide. This typical molecule, which is held responsible for the artery-narrowing disease— atherosclerosis, is generated by a result of the metabolism, by both microbes and their host, of certain dietary compounds that are especially abundant in red meat. 

In this study, the authors began with the characterisation of the blood serum molecules collected from 491 healthy patients. Furthermore, stool samplings were also collected for DNA sequencing of the gut microbes and to obtain the complete genetic signature of the gut microbiome. The research used machine learning in silico approaches to establish linking factors between human genetics and microbiome information. By carrying out several rounds of characterisation it was observed that diet, the microbiome and clinical variables such as prescription-drug use and blood pressure had the most likely associations with blood serum molecules.

This study is comprehensive, but plenty of room remains unexplored for future revelations. The authors used the well-established and standardized Metabolon platform to quantify serum metabolites, but no such metabolomic analysis method can cover the full range of blood-borne compounds. Although this research can throw light upon certain unknown aspects of biology but without adequate metabolite identification nothing can be specified.

Also read: Nanopores – As Single-Molecule Sensors

Reference- 

Bar, N. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2896-2 (2020).

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