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REVIEW article

Front. Mol. Biosci.

Sec. Metabolomics

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1542100

Functional Metabolomics: Unlocking the Role of Small Molecular Metabolites

Provisionally accepted
Hetao ChenHetao Chen1,2Jiao KongJiao Kong3Peipei DuPeipei Du1,2Qian WangQian Wang4Tao JiangTao Jiang1,2Xixi HouXixi Hou2Tingting FengTingting Feng2jiajia Duanjiajia Duan1,2*Chuanxin LiuChuanxin Liu1,4*
  • 1Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Diseases, Endocrinology and Metabolism Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
  • 2The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
  • 3Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 4Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China

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Metabolomics is an expanding field dedicated to elucidating metabolic disorders by analyzing endogenous small molecules in biological samples. With the rapid advancement of metabolomics, researchers are investigating the influence of metabolites on metabolic phenotypes. The emergence of functional metabolomics provides a methodological framework to address this issue. This approach focuses on the biological functions of metabolites and their corresponding enzymes while validating the potential mechanisms of differential metabolites through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Despite numerous research findings, a systematic compilation of case studies remains absent. Therefore, this review systematically summarizes and evaluates functional metabolomics, covering its historical development, current state, and future directions, with the aim of fostering its advancement and offering solutions for further research.

Keywords: functional metabolomics, Metabolic Diseases, Chemical Biology, Molecular Biology, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Received: 10 Dec 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Kong, Du, Wang, Jiang, Hou, Feng, Duan and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
jiajia Duan, The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China, Luoyang, Henan Province, China
Chuanxin Liu, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material