Analytical Developments in Mapping the Polar Metabolome

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Special Issue entitled "Analytical Developments in Mapping the Polar Metabolome" in Metabolites (MDPI).

Holistic analysis and simultaneous study of a plethora of small endogenous molecules derived from a living system constitute one of the greatest advantages of metabolomics. Metabolomics-based studies still face significant analytical challenges, mainly by virtue of the physicochemical diversity of endogenous compounds and their different concentration ranges, whose investigation requires more advanced analytical strategies. Hence, until now, no individual analytical method has been able to determine the properties of all metabolites/lipids. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) represents a major technological advancement in the field; the recent development and evolution of metabolomics-based methodologies have contributed to discovering novel, promising and validated biomarkers, as well as elucidating novel pathophysiological mechanisms. Τhe continuous exploration and analysis of new systems, using state-of-the-art technologies, could solve remaining challenges in analytical and bioanalytical chemistry and help establish accurate tools for exploring major pathways and molecules critical for several mechanisms of life. One major remaining challenge is the exploration of the polar metabolome. A majority of key target analytes are primary metabolites involved in the central metabolism, e.g., biosynthetic pathways such as glycolysis, amino acid metabolism or the Krebs cycle. The role of these molecules is important for a number of life mechanisms, so there is an urgent need to determine effective and accurate measurements. However, these metabolites are highly polar molecules, making their analysis challenging. Significant recent efforts by the research community have invested in the development of methods aimed at exploring the polar metabolome. The current SI aims to present the most recent approaches and perspectives with regard to the application of LC-MS in mapping the polar metabolome.

We welcome articles and reviews, among other types of papers, to this Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Detailed instructions for submission are presented below. (Please follow the detailed Guide to Authors on the journal’s website.)

Dr. Olga Angeliki Begou
Prof. Dr. Georgios Theodoridis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.