代谢组学是继基因组学、转录组学和蛋白质组学之后的又一门新兴组学技术，在方法学上具有整体性、系统性及综合性的特点，恰与中医药理论的整体观、动态观、辨证观相吻合。本文综述了代谢组学技术在中药效应物质基础、质量评价研究中的应用，并针对目前中药质量控制的不足，提出了基于代谢组学技术的中药质量控制研究思路，即采用代谢组学的技术及其分析方法，明确中药药效物质基础及其在药用植物中代谢变化的影响因素，从而建立与临床疗效相关的中药质量控制方法，确保中药临床使用的安全性和有效性。

Metabonomics is a new omics technology which is developed after the genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. It has characteristics of integrity, systematization and comprehensiveness. These characteristics just coincide with the whole view, dynamic concept and dialectic approach of the TCM theory. This paper reviews the application of metabonomics in therapeutic basis and quality evaluation research of TCM. Due to the deficiency of the current quality control of TCM, we have put forward an integral quality control research idea based on the metabonomics technology. That is, the technology and methods of metabonomics are used to ascertain the therapeutic basis of TCM and factors effecting the metabolic change of chemical constituents in the medicinal plant body. Then we can establish a quality control method which is related to clinical effect to ensure the safety and effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine.

科学技术部“十一五”国家科技支撑计划项目（2007BAI40B05）：体现道地性与中医药特色相关的川贝母、白芷、黄连质量标准系统研究，负责人：张艺；高校博士点专项科研基金（20095132110008）：三果汤散防治高原红细胞增多症药效物质基础的代谢组学研究，负责人：张艺。