Metabolomic Analysis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

摘要

Background and Aims: The inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD], Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic, idiopathic gastrointestinal diseases. Although their precise aetiology is unknown, it is thought to involve a complex interaction between genetic predisposition and an abnormal host immune response to environmental exposures, probably microbial. Microbial dysbiosis has frequently been documented in IBD. Metabolomics [the study of small molecular intermediates and end products of metabolism in biological samples] provides a unique opportunity to characterize disease-associated metabolic changes and may be of particular use in quantifying gut microbial metabolism. Numerous metabolomic studies have been undertaken in IBD populations, identifying consistent alterations in a range of molecules across several biological matrices. This systematic review aims to summarize these findings.