Abstract
Carboxyl-bearing low-molecular-weight compounds such as keto acids, fatty acids, and other organic acids are involved in a myriad of metabolic pathways owing to their high polarity and solubility in biological fluids. Various disease areas such as cancer, myeloid leukemia, heart disease, liver disease, and lifestyle diseases (obesity and diabetes) were found to be related to certain metabolic pathways and changes in the concentrations of the compounds involved in those pathways. Therefore, the quantification of such compounds provides useful information pertaining to diagnosis, pathological conditions, and disease mechanisms, spurring the development of numerous analytical methods for this purpose. This review article addresses analytical methods for the quantification of carboxylic acids, which were classified into fatty acids, tricarboxylic acid cycle and glycolysis-related compounds, amino acid metabolites, perfluorinated carboxylic acids, α-keto acids and their metabolites, thiazole-containing carboxylic acids, and miscellaneous, in biological samples from 2000 to date. Methods involving liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet, fluorescence, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical detection were summarized.
Highlights
Quantification of low-molecular-weight compounds, as exemplified by metabolomics studies, has become increasingly important in the life sciences
Low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids are involved in various metabolic pathways
This review focuses on analytical methods for carboxylic acids developed since 2000 until March
Summary
Quantification of low-molecular-weight compounds, as exemplified by metabolomics studies, has become increasingly important in the life sciences. Metabolite analysis provides metabolic and biochemical status of particular biological systems and valuable insights into disease development and diagnosis [1,2,3,4,5,6]. There are numerous classes of low-molecular-weight compounds, and they are categorized based on their functional groups, including amine, thiol, and carboxylic groups. Low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids are involved in various metabolic pathways. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which is the principal energy-producing process in cells, involves nine carboxylic acid compounds. Fatty acids are integral components of lipids, and consist of carboxylic acids with long aliphatic chains
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