Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry-based Metabolomics Research Articles

Selection of Taste Markers Related to Lactic Acid Bacteria Microflora Metabolism for Chinese Traditional Paocai: A Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics Approach.

Traditional paocai brine (PB) is continuously propagated by back-slopping and contains numerous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Although PB is important for the quality of paocai (Chinese sauerkraut), the taste features, taste-related compounds of PB-paocai and the effects of LAB communities from PB on the taste compounds remain unclear. An electronic tongue was used to evaluate the taste features of 13 PB-paocai samples. Umami, saltiness, bitterness, sweetness, and aftertaste astringency were the main taste features of PB-paocai. A total of 14 compounds were identified as discriminant taste markers for PB-paocai via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based multimarker profiling. A LAB co-culture (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, and Pediococcus ethanoliduran) from PB could significantly increase glutamic acid (umami), sucrose (sweetness), glycine (sweetness), lactic acid (sourness), and γ-aminobutyric acid in PB-paocai, which would endow it with important flavor features. Such features could then facilitate starter screening and fermentation optimization to produce paocai-related foods with better nutritional and sensory qualities.

Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa Leaf Extract against the HCT116 Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Line and Investigation of the Bioactive Compound by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics

Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) belongs to the Cupressaceae family, and it is found widely distributed in Japan and Korea. In this study, the anti-proliferative activities of the methanol and water extracts of CO leaves against a human colorectal cancer cell line (HCT116) were investigated. The methanol extract of CO leaves, at a concentration of 1.25 µg/mL, exhibited anti-proliferative activity against HCT116 cells, while displaying no cytotoxicity against Chang liver cells. Comparative global metabolite profiling was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, and it was revealed that anthricin was the major compound contributing to the anti-proliferative activity. The activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases played a key role in the apoptotic effect of the methanol extract of CO leaves in HCT116 human colon cancer cells. These results suggest that the methanol extract and anthricin derived from CO leaves might be useful in the development of medicines with anti-colorectal cancer activity.

Use of urinary metabolomics to evaluate the effect of hyperuricemia on the kidney

Clinical studies show that hyperuricemia is a risk factor in the progression and development of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Elevated serum levels of uric acid induce renal injury via an inflammation response, but the detailed mechanism is still under study. To better understand the effect of hyperuricemia on the kidney, we used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to investigate the role of uric acid in the mouse kidney. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis revealed significant differences between control and hyperuricemia groups in urine metabolic profiles. We identified 33 metabolites from 76 highly reproducible peaks and found abnormal uric acid levels related to comprehensive kidney injury, including excretive function and energy metabolism. Additionally, inflammation induced by the interleukin 6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling pathway participated in hyperuricemia-induced kidney injury. This study helps understand the relationship between hyperuricemia and kidney injury. Metabolomics may be a useful strategy for early diagnosis of kidney damage.

Serum Metabolomic Analysis of Pancreatic Cancer—Letter

In their recent article, Kobayashi and colleagues ([1][1]) sought to construct and validate a diagnostic model for pancreatic cancer using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based human serum metabolomics approach. The study included a training set ( n = 85) and a validation set ( n = 106). Using

Comparative metabolomics charts the impact of genotype-dependent methionine accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Methionine (Met) is an essential amino acid for all organisms. In plants, Met also functions as a precursor of plant hormones, polyamines, and defense metabolites. The regulatory mechanism of Met biosynthesis is highly complex and, despite its great importance, remains unclear. To investigate how accumulation of Met influences metabolism as a whole in Arabidopsis, three methionine over-accumulation (mto) mutants were examined using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach. Multivariate statistical analyses of the three mto mutants (mto1, mto2, and mto3) revealed distinct metabolomic phenotypes. Orthogonal projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis highlighted discriminative metabolites contributing to the separation of each mutant and the corresponding control samples. Though Met accumulation in mto1 had no dramatic effect on other metabolic pathways except for the aspartate family, metabolite profiles of mto2 and mto3 indicated that several extensive pathways were affected in addition to over-accumulation of Met. The pronounced changes in metabolic pathways in both mto2 and mto3 were associated with polyamines. The findings suggest that our metabolomics approach not only can reveal the impact of Met over-accumulation on metabolism, but also may provide clues to identify crucial pathways for regulation of metabolism in plants.