Functional modules and bottlenecks in human metabolic network core

The objective of this paper was to study human metabolic network core by structural and functional analysis. Firstly, we edited the human metabolic network core derived from a high-quality human metabolic network model and studied its general global structural properties (degree distribution, average path length, etc.). The human metabolic network core is a “scale-free” and “small-world” network. Then, we studied modules in human metabolic network core based on simulated annealing algorithm. The functional significance of these modules for metabolism was investigated by comparing them to KEGG metabolic pathways. Finally, we studied central metabolites in human metabolic network core by multi-centrality measures and discussed their biological implications and pharmacological insight.