Application of Metabolomics in Emergency Phytochemical Poisoning and Remediation

Abstract

relatively safe, and effective phytochemicals. However, natural does not necessarily mean safe. Many plants have been reported as toxic or natural killers in extremely high doses. Plant extracts are complex mixtures of thousands of primary as well as secondary metabolites. The biological activities and toxicities of plants are mostly attributed to secondary metabolites. The chemical diversity of secondary metabolites is a significant challenge in their analysis. This becomes even more complicated if they interact with biological systems. Therefore, there is no simple method of analysis that comprehensively covers the chemically diverse phytochemicals. Metabolomics has emerged as a comprehensive tool to analyze the total set of metabolites within a biological system. This chapter aims to discuss the technical use of metabolomics and its potential applications in emergency phytochemical poisoning and remediation