http://www3.interscience.wiley。com/journal/110511551/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 [size=+1] Review Metabolomics in the context of systems biology: bridging traditional Chinese medicine and molecular pharmacology Mei Wang[size=-1] 1 2[size=-1] *, Robert-Jan A. N. Lamers[size=-1] 3 4, Henrie A. A. J. Korthout[size=-1] 2, Joop H. J. van Nesselrooij[size=-1] 3, Renger F. Witkamp[size=-1] 3, Rob van der Heijden[size=-1] 4, Peter J. Voshol[size=-1] 5, Louis M. Havekes[size=-1] 5, Rob Verpoorte[size=-1] 4, Jan van der Greef[size=-1] 1 3 4

[size=-1]1SU Biomedicine, Utrechtsweg 48, P. O. Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands [size=-1]2TNONetherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Nutrition andFood Research, Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Zernikedreef 9, P.O. Box 2215, 2301 CE Leiden, The Netherlands [size=-1]3TNO Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, TNO Pharma, P. O. Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands [size=-1]4Universityof Leiden, Center for Medical Systems Biology, LACDR & Institute ofBiology, P. O. Box 9502, 3700 RA Leiden, The Netherlands [size=-1]5TNO-Prevention and Health, Gaubius Laboratory, Leiden, The Netherlands

email: Mei Wang (wang@voeding.tno.nl)

[size=-1]*Correspondenceto Mei Wang, TNO Netherlands Organization for Applied ScientificResearch, Nutrition and Food Research, Department of Applied PlantSciences, Zernikedreef 9, P. O. Box 2215, 2301 CE Leiden, TheNetherlands.

Keywords

metabolomics • systems biology • Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Abstract

Theintroduction of the concept of systems biology, enabling the study ofliving systems from a holistic perspective based on the profiling of amultitude of biochemical components, opens up a unique and novelopportunity to reinvestigate natural products. In the study of theirbioactivity, the necessary reductionistic approach on single activecomponents has been successful in the discovery of new medicines, butat the same time the synergetic effects of components were lost.Systems biology, and especially metabolomics, is the ultimatephenotyping. It opens up the possibility of studying the effect ofcomplex mixtures, such as those used in Traditional Chinese Medicine,in complex biological systems; abridging it with molecularpharmacology. This approach is considered to have the potential torevolutionize natural product research and to advance the developmentof scientific based herbal medicine. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.