Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Large Scale Non-targeted Metabolomic Profiling of Serum by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry UPLC-MS
Published on: March 14, 2013
Sweat: a sample with limited present applications and promising future in metabolomics
A Mena-Bravo1, M D Luque de Castro1
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Annex Marie Curie Building, Campus of Rabanales, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; University of Córdoba Agroalimentary Excellence Campus, ceiA3, Spain; Maimónides Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), Reina Sofía University Hospital, University of Córdoba, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Sweat analysis offers advantages over blood or urine for routine clinical testing and metabolomics. Further research is needed to standardize sweat sample volume for broader diagnostic applications.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Sweat is an underutilized biofluid for clinical diagnostics.
- Existing methods for sweat analysis are limited.
- Metabolomics offers potential for novel insights from sweat.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the advantages of sweat analysis compared to blood and urine.
- To discuss the potential of sweat in metabolomics.
- To review current sweat sampling and analysis techniques.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of sweat samplers and analytical equipment.
- Discussion of established sweat analyses (e.g., cystic fibrosis).
- Comparison of sweat, urine, and blood for doping control.
Main Results:
- Sweat analysis is suitable for essential metals, xenometals, ethanol, and electrolytes, aligning with metabolomics.
- Genomics and proteomics biomarkers are more developed than metabolomics.
- Normalization of sweat sample volume remains a challenge.
Conclusions:
- Sweat holds significant potential for routine clinical analysis and metabolomics.
- Further investigation into sweat sampling standardization is crucial.
- Metabolomics can contribute to systems biology through sweat analysis.
