Urinary peptidomics in kidney disease and drug research

Introduction: Due to its close connection with the renal system, urine is considered a valuable source of information in kidney disease research. Peptidomics methods focus on the discovery of endogenous peptides, given their wide range of biological functions and diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Representing a non-invasive and sensitive method, technological prospects of urinary peptidomics should be evaluated in the context of drug discovery and research.
Areas covered: This review describes urinary peptidomics with focus on its application in drug research in the field of kidney diseases. The authors provide an overview of current achievements and potential future applications.
Expert opinion: The urinary peptidome is a dynamically changing source of information, able to reflect sudden and long-term changes affecting the renal system. Studies utilizing urinary peptidomics techniques have demonstrated their value in patient stratification and detection of early pathological changes in kidney disease. Serving as a liquid biopsy, urinary peptides are an invaluable tool for drug response monitoring. Nevertheless, peptidomics is largely underexplored in drug research in general, as evidenced by the scarce number of scientific publications on this topic. Further progress will be driven by the successful validation of current discoveries and continued efforts to improve the translation of results into therapeutic applications.

引言：鉴于尿液与肾脏系统的紧密关联，其被视为肾脏病研究中极具价值的信息来源。肽组学（Peptidomics）技术聚焦于内源性肽段的发掘，这类肽段具备广泛的生物学功能以及诊断与治疗潜力。作为一种无创且灵敏的检测手段，尿液肽组学（urinary peptidomics）的技术前景应当在药物发现与研究的语境下进行评估。

涵盖领域：本综述围绕尿液肽组学展开，重点阐述其在肾脏病领域药物研究中的应用。作者团队概述了当前已取得的研究成果，并展望了其未来潜在的应用方向。

专家观点：尿液肽组（urinary peptidome）是一类动态变化的信息源，能够反映影响肾脏系统的突发性与长期性变化。采用尿液肽组学技术的相关研究已证实，其在肾脏病患者分层以及早期病理变化检测中具备应用价值。作为一种液体活检手段，尿液肽段是监测药物响应的宝贵工具。然而总体而言，肽组学在药物研究中的应用仍未得到充分探索，相关学术出版物数量稀少便可佐证这一点。后续研究进展将取决于当前研究发现的成功验证，以及持续推进研究成果向治疗应用转化的相关工作。