Exploring the potential application of alternative nuclei in NMR based metabolomics

Introduction: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is widely used in metabolomics but it focusses on 1H over other NMR-active nuclei. Objectives: To evaluate the potential of alternative NMR-sensitive nuclei to generate useful metabolomic data. Method: Proton, carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen-based NMR metabolomics was undertaken on extracts from mint and European honey bee tissue. Results: Carbon NMR provided useful information but required larger sample sizes. Phosphorus produced overlapping peaks in one dimensional (1D) analysis but showed potential in 2D experiments. 15N NMR was found to not be sensitive enough for general metabolomic work. Conclusions: Alternative NMR active nuclei are useful for metabolomics.