Stable Isotope Labeling and Its Applications in Metabolomics
A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Metabolomic Profiling Technology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: LC-MS; metabolomics; chemical isotope labeling; metabolic flux; lipidomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Isotope labeling techniques are widely utilized in mass spectrometry and metabolomics. In particular, they can be employed to enhance the accuracy and precision of quantitative analysis. By introducing isotope-labeled internal standards, analytical variation can be significantly reduced, enhancing the reliability of results. However, in cases where suitable internal standards are not available, chemical derivatization strategies can be used to label extracted metabolites with isotopic tags, enabling accurate relative quantification across samples.
Beyond quantification, isotope labeling plays a central role in metabolic flux analysis. By introducing stable isotope-labeled precursors (e.g., 13C-glucose, 15N-amino acids) into the culture medium, researchers can trace the flow of atoms through metabolic pathways and identify key intermediates, end-products, and regulatory nodes. This approach provides deep insights into the dynamic behavior of metabolic networks under different physiological or pathological conditions.
Overall, isotope labeling has become an essential tool in modern metabolomics, offering versatile applications in both targeted and untargeted workflows. From enhancing quantitative accuracy to enabling in-depth metabolic flux profiling, it serves as a powerful strategy for understanding complex biological systems.
This Special Issue is dedicated to highlighting recent advances in isotope labeling methods and their applications in metabolomics and metabolic flux analysis. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and technical notes that contribute to the development and application of isotope labeling in mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics.
Dr. Xian Luo
Dr. Chao Wu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- metabolomics profiling
- LC-MS
- lipidomics
- isotope labeling
- metabolic flux
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