Techniques avancées en biologie et médecine
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Mass Spectrophotometry: An Advanced Technique in Biomedical Sciences

Biswaranjan Paital

Present century is the era of life sciences and metabolomics is the dominating field in present day over genomics and proteomics. Powerful techniques in the later cases are useful to determine the qualitative and quantitative studies of the levels of metabolites in bio-medical samples. In past time, biochemistry had very least role because the analyses of metabolites using individual conventional biochemical techniques had been used from past centuries. Owing to this limitation, mass spectrometry (MS) was introduced in bio-medical sciences. The fundamental rule in MS is that it ionizes individual chemical species and sorts the fragmented samples at charged state (ions) on the basis of their mass to charge (m/z) ratio. Therefore, each molecule in purified form or in homogenate can be identified and quantified based on their unique m/z ratio. In other words, MS measures the masses of the fragmented samples by enabling them to be charged during measurement. This particular technique has therefore, many applications starting from quantitative to qualitative analyses of metabolites under normal, experimental and diseased conditions in organisms including human being. Based on the method applied, sample preparation process, sample type, measurement process such as abundance or time of retention or flight of charged fragments etc., each MS vary with its own advantages and disadvantages. A general commentary article is written on this particular modern technique to make it understood and popular among the researchers.