Metabonomic Changes Research Articles

Short-term toxicity assessments of an antibiotic metabolite in Wistar rats and its metabonomics analysis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

4-Epi-oxytetracycline (4-EOTC), one of main oxytetracycline (OTC) metabolites, can be commonly detected in food and environment. The toxicity and effects of OTC on animals have been well characterized; however, its metabolites have never been studied systemically. This study aims to investigate 15-day oral dose toxicity and urine metabonomics changes of 4-EOTC after repeated administration in Wistar rats at daily doses of 0.5, 5.0 and 50.0mg/kgbw (bodyweight). Hematology and clinical chemistry parameters, including white blood cell count, red blood cell count, total protein, globulin and albumin/globulin, were obviously altered in rats of 5.0 and 50.0mg/kgbw. Histopathology changes of kidney and liver tissues were also observed in high-dose groups. Urinary metabolites from all groups were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Seventeen metabolites contributing to the clusters were identified as potential biomarkers from multivariate analysis, including aminoadipic acid, 6-phosphogluconate, sebacic acid, pipecolic acid, etc. The significant changes of these biomarkers demonstrated metabonomic variations in treated rats, especially lysine and purine metabolism. For the first time in this paper, we combined the results of toxicity and metabonomics induced by 4-EOTC for the serious reconsideration of the safety and potential risks of antibiotics and its degradation metabolites.

Tissue-specific metabolic responses of Cyprinus flammans to copper.

Copper (Cu) contamination is serious in China, with ≤2.76mg/L in some waters. Exposure to Cu causes a high toxicity to the aquatic organisms and subsequent ecological risk. To understand fish responses to Cu exposure, we analyzed the metabonomic changes in multiple tissues (gill, liver, and muscle) of Cyprinus flammans using an nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomic technique. Our results showed that metabolic alterations are dose-dependent. No significant metabolic alterations in three tissues of fish are caused by 0.25mg/L Cu. However, 1.53mg/L Cu caused changes of energy-related metabolites and amino acids, which we suggest are due to enhanced metabolic acidosis in gill and muscle, decreased tricarboxylic acid cycle activity in muscle, increased gluconeogenesis from amino acids in liver, and improved glycogenesis in liver and muscle. The Cori cycle between liver and muscle is concurrently triggered. Furthermore, high concentration of Cu resulted in the alteration of choline metabolism such that we hypothesize that Cu induces membrane damage and detoxification of CuSO4 in gill as well as altered osmoregulation in all three tissues. Choline-O-sulfate in gill may be used as a biomarker to provide an early warning of Cu exposure in C. flammans. Moreover, Cu exposure caused alterations of nucleoside and nucleotide metabolism in both gill and muscle. These findings provide a new insight into the metabolic effects of Cu exposure on C. flammans and highlight the value of metabonomics in the study of metabolic metal disturbance in fish.

Metabonomic Changes Associated with Atherosclerosis Progression for LDLR(-/-) Mice.

Atherosclerosis resulting from hyperlipidemia causes many serious cardiovascular diseases. To understand the systems changes associated with pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis, we comprehensively analyzed the dynamic metabonomic changes in multiple biological matrices of LDLR(-/-) mice using NMR and GC-FID/MS with gene expression, clinical chemistry, and histopathological data as well. We found that 12 week "Western-type" diet (WD) treatment caused obvious aortic lesions, macrophage infiltration, and collagen level elevation in LDLR(-/-) mice accompanied by up-regulation of inflammatory factors including aortic ICAM-1, MCP-1, iNOS, MMP2, and hepatic TNFα and IL-1β. The WD-induced atherosclerosis progression was accompanied by metabonomic changes in multiple matrices including biofluids (plasma, urine) and (liver, kidney, myocardial) tissues involving multiple metabolic pathways. These included disruption of cholesterol homeostasis, disturbance of biosynthesis of amino acids and proteins, altered gut microbiota functions together with metabolisms of vitamin-B3, choline, purines, and pyrimidines. WD treatment caused down-regulation of SCD1 and promoted oxidative stress reflected by urinary allantoin elevation and decreases in hepatic PUFA-to-MUFA ratio. When switching to normal diet, atherosclerotic LDLR(-/-) mice reprogrammed their metabolisms and reversed the atherosclerosis-associated metabonomic changes to a large extent, although aortic lesions, inflammation parameters, macrophage infiltration, and collagen content were only partially alleviated. We concluded that metabolisms of fatty acids and vitamin-B3 together with gut microbiota played crucially important roles in atherosclerosis development. These findings offered essential biochemistry details of the diet-induced atherosclerosis and demonstrated effectiveness of the integrated metabonomic analysis of multiple biological matrices for understanding the molecular aspects of cardiovascular diseases.

Human serum acylcarnitine profiles in different glucose tolerance states

AimsTo understand the relationship between serum acylcarnitine profiles and glucose tolerance status. MethodsWe analyzed 61 subjects who were divided into three groups based on their glucose tolerance status: normal glucose tolerance (NGT; n=20,M/F=9/11, mean age 48 years), pre-diabetes (Pre-DM; n=20,M/F=11/9, mean age 51 years), or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; n=21,M/F=8/13, mean age 49 years). Fasting serum free carnitine and acylcarnitine concentrations were determined using isotope dilution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry coupled with high performance liquid chromatography. ResultsIn comparison with NGT subjects, Pre-DM and type 2 diabetes subjects showed serum metabonomic changes highlighted by dysregulation of mitochondrial fatty acid combustion. Of the long-chain carnitine esters, significantly higher palmitoylcarnitine (C16), 3-OH-hexadecanoylcarnitine (C16-OH), carnitine C20, carnitine C22, and carnitine C24 concentrations (all P<0.05) were noted in the newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes group, and even the pre-diabetes group. ConclusionsThis research provides further evidence of alterations in serum acylcarnitine profiles being associated with worse glucoseintolerance. The findings may suggest different degrees of involvement of dysregulated mitochondrial function and incomplete long-chain fatty acid oxidation pathways in the natural course of type 2 diabetes.

Metabonomic analysis reveals efficient ameliorating effects of acupoint stimulations on the menopause-caused alterations in mammalian metabolism.

Acupoint stimulations are effective in ameliorating symptoms of menopause which is an unavoidable ageing consequence for women. To understand the mechanistic aspects of such treatments, we systematically analyzed the effects of acupoint laser-irradiation and catgut-embedding on the ovariectomy-induced rat metabolic changes using NMR and GC-FID/MS methods. Results showed that ovariectomization (OVX) caused comprehensive metabolic changes in lipid peroxidation, glycolysis, TCA cycle, choline and amino acid metabolisms. Both acupoint laser-irradiation and catgut-embedding ameliorated the OVX-caused metabonomic changes more effectively than hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with nilestriol. Such effects of acupoint stimulations were highlighted in alleviating lipid peroxidation, restoring glucose homeostasis and partial reversion of the OVX-altered amino acid metabolism. These findings provided new insights into the menopause effects on mammalian biochemistry and beneficial effects of acupoint stimulations in comparison with HRT, demonstrating metabonomics as a powerful approach for potential applications in disease prognosis and developments of effective therapies.

Plasma metabonomic changes induced by vinegar-processed Kansui treatment

Objective To clarify the toxicity reducing mechanism of vinegar-processed Kansui by comparing the plasma metabonomic profiles induced by Kansui and vinegar-process Kansui treatments.Methods Totally 30SD rats were divided into five groups:controls,7.875g/kg Kansui,15.75g/kg Kansui,7.875g/kg vinegar-processed Kansui and 15.75g/kg vinegar-processed Kansui.The treatments lasted for 2weeks.The plasma samples were obtained before,immediately after and 7days after withdrawal of drugs;the 1 HNMR spectra of each sample were obtained and analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)method.Results Compared with Kansui groups,vinegar-processed Kansui increased plasma lipids,3-hydrobutyrate and glucose,and decreased the levels of lactate and creatine/creatinine;furthermore, the spectra profiles of vinegar-processed Kansui groups were closer to those of the control group.Seven days after drug withdrawal,the rats of vinegar-processed Kansui groups recovered better than those in Kansui groups.Conclusion Vinegarprocessed Kansui has toxicity-reducing effect;it can regulate the metabolism of energy and fat,and reduce the toxicity to the liver and kidney.Plasma metabonomics study based on 1 HNMR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis can be used to explore the toxicity-reducing mechanism of vinegar-processed Kansui.

Anti-fibrosis and anti-cirrhosis effects of Rhizoma paridis saponins on diethylnitrosamine induced rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceParis polyphylla var. yunnanensis as a traditional Chinese medicine has been used in the treatment of liver disease for thousands of years. Rhizoma paridis saponins (RPS), as the main active components of Paris polyphylla, have been used to treat liver injury. Anti-cirrhosis effect of Rhizoma paridis saponins (RPS) has not been known. Materials and methodsWe analyzed diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced metabonomic changes in multiple biological matrices (plasma and urine) of rats by using 1H-NMR spectroscopy together with clinical biochemistry assessments, oxidative stress test and DNA fragmentation assay. ResultsMechanisms of RPS that participated in the inhibition of the fibrotic process included anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, and metabolic disturbance such as decreasing lipid oxidation, regulation of TCA cycle, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolisms in DEN-induced liver tissues. ConclusionsIntegrated NMR analysis of serum and urine samples, together with traditional clinical biochemical assays provided a holistic method for elucidating mechanisms of potential anti-fibrotic agent, RPS.

High-Fat Diet Induces Dynamic Metabolic Alterations in Multiple Biological Matrices of Rats

Obesity is a condition resulting from the interactions of individual biology and environmental factors causing multiple complications. To understand the system's metabolic changes associated with the obesity development and progression, we systematically analyzed the dynamic metabonomic changes induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in multiple biological matrices of rats using NMR and GC-FID/MS techniques. Clinical chemistry and histopathological data were obtained as complementary information. We found that HFD intakes caused systematic metabolic changes in blood plasma, liver, and urine samples involving multiple metabolic pathways including glycolysis, TCA cycle, and gut microbiota functions together with the metabolisms of fatty acids, amino acids, choline, B-vitamins, purines, and pyrimidines. The HFD-induced metabolic variations were detectable in rat urine a week after HFD intake and showed clear dependence on the intake duration. B-vitamins and gut microbiota played important roles in the obesity development and progression together with changes in TCA cycle intermediates (citrate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, and fumarate). 83-day HFD intakes caused significant metabolic alterations in rat liver highlighted with the enhancements in lipogenesis, lipid accumulation and lipid oxidation, suppression of glycolysis, up-regulation of gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis together with altered metabolisms of choline, amino acids and nucleotides. HFD intakes reduced the PUFA-to-MUFA ratio in both plasma and liver, indicating the HFD-induced oxidative stress. These findings provided essential biochemistry information about the dynamic metabolic responses to the development and progression of HFD-induced obesity. This study also demonstrated the combined metabonomic analysis of multiple biological matrices as a powerful approach for understanding the molecular basis of pathogenesis and disease progression.

NMR-based metabonomic in hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex of methamphetamine-sensitized rats

1H NMR spectroscopy was applied to investigate the changes of cerebral metabolites in brain hippocampus, nucleus accumbens (NAC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the rats subjected to subcutaneous twice-daily injections of 2.5mg/kg methamphetamine (MAP) for 7 days. The results indicated that MAP exposure induced significant behavioral sensitization and altered cerebral metabolites in rats. The neurotransmitters glutamate, glutamine and GABA significantly decreased in hippocampus, NAC and PFC. Specifically, increased succinic acid semialdehyde, a metabolism product of GABA, was observed in hippocampus. Additionally, decreased serotonin was observed in both NAC and PFC, whereas decreased dopamine was only observed in NAC after repeated MAP treatment. Glutathione obviously decreased in above brain regions, whereas acetylcysteine declined in hippocampus and NAC, and taurine declined in NAC and PFC. Homocysteic acid was elevated in hippocampus and NAC by repeated MAP administration. Membrane ingredients like phosphocholine elevated in response to MAP administration in NAC and PFC. N-Acetyl-aspartate, a marker of neuronal viability, decreased in the three regions; however, myo-inositol, a glial cell marker, increased in hippocampus and PFC. Tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate products, such as α-ketoglutarate, succinate, citrate and the methionine significantly decreased in above three brain regions after MAP administration; however, ADP decreased in hippocampus. These results indicate that repeated MAP treatment causes neurotransmitters disturbance, imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidants, and gliosis in hippocampus, NAC and PFC. Profound metabolic changes detected across brain regions provide the first evidence of metabonomic changes in MAP-induced sensitized rats.

NMR spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analysis of metabonomic changes in Allium macrostemon Bunge extracts induced by different drying methods

Phytomedicines are mostly dried, in different ways, before they are processed and used, which may induce metabolic changes and even lead to some changes in drug efficiency. In this study, we used NMR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to investigate the metabolic consequences of Allium macrostemon Bunge (AMB) extracts induced by different drying methods, including freeze drying, shade drying, and sun drying. More than 30 metabolites have been detected in AMB extracts, among which two compounds have not been assigned yet. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that different drying methods gave rise to metabolite variations. As a plant osmoprotectant, the proline content was higher in three drying extracts than in the fresh extract. As plant-regulating agents, sugars and amino acids changed differently in each drying extract. Membrane degradation, putrescine formation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, gluconeogenesis and metabolisms mediated by shikimate were also influenced by drying processes. The result indicated that freeze drying may be the appropriate drying method for AMB because of the higher N-trans-feruloyltyramine content, which was a potential effective component of AMB.

Gallic Acid Intake Induces Alterations to Systems Metabolism in Rats

Gallic acid (GA) and its metabolites are polyphenolic compounds present in daily diets and herbal medicines. To understand the GA effects on the endogenous metabolism of mammals, we systematically analyzed the metabonomic responses of rat plasma, liver, urine, and feces to a single GA dosage of 120 and 600 mg/kg, which were below the no-obvious-adverse-effect-level of 1 g/kg for rats. Clinical chemistry and histopathological assessments were conducted to provide complementary information. Our results showed that GA intake induced significant metabonomic changes in multiple rat biological matrices. Such changes were more outstanding in liver than in the other matrices and clearly showed dose- and time-dependence. The results suggested GA-induced promotion of oxidative stress as the major effect. High-dose GA caused significant metabolic changes involving glycogenolysis, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and metabolism of amino acids, purines, and pyrimidines, together with gut microbiota functions. Low-dose GA only caused some urinary metabonomic changes and to a much less degree. The GA-induced liver metabonomic changes were not completely recoverable within a week, although such recovery completed in plasma, urine, and feces within 80 h. These findings provided new essential information on the effects of dietary polyphenols and demonstrated the great potential of this nutrimetabonomics approach.

Metabonomic Analysis Reveals the CCl4-Induced Systems Alterations for Multiple Rat Organs

CCl(4)-induced metabonomic changes have been extensively studied for mammalian liver, and such changes have not been reported for other organs. To investigate the CCl(4) effects on other organs, we analyzed the CCl(4)-induced metabonomic changes in rat kidney, lung, and spleen using (1)H NMR-based metabonomics approaches with complementary information on serum clinical chemistry and histopathology. We found that acute CCl(4) exposure caused significant level elevation for creatine and decline for glucose, taurine, trimethylamine, uridine, and adenosine in rat kidney. CCl(4)-treatment also induced elevation of amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, valine, threonine, alanine, lysine, ornithine, methionine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and histidine), creatine, and betaine in rat lung together with depletion of glycogen, glucose, taurine, glycine, and hypoxanthine. Furthermore, CCl(4) caused elevation of lactate, alanine, betaine, and uracil in rat spleen accompanied with decline for glucose, choline, and hypoxanthine. These observations indicated that CCl(4) caused oxidative stresses to multiple rat organs and alterations of their functions including renal osmotic regulations, accelerated glycolysis, and protein and nucleotide catabolism. These findings provide essential information on CCl(4) toxicity to multiple rat organs and suggest that systems toxicological views are required for metabonomic studies of toxins by taking many other organs into consideration apart from so-called targeted ones.

Streptozotocin-Induced Dynamic Metabonomic Changes in Rat Biofluids

Diabetes mellitus is a complex polygenic disease caused by gene-environment interactions with multiple complications, and metabonomic analysis is crucial for pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and timely interventions. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the dynamic metabolic changes in rat urine and plasma, which were induced by the well-known diabetogenic chemical streptozotocin (STZ), using (1)H NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate data analysis. The results showed that a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ with a moderate dosage (55 mg/kg) induced significant urinary metabonomic changes within 24 h. These changes showed time-dependence and heterogeneity among the treated animals with an animal recovered within 11 days. STZ-induced metabonomic alterations were related to suppression of glycolysis and TCA cycle, promotion of gluconeogenesis and oxidation of amino acids, alterations in metabolisms of basic amino acids associated with diabetic complications, and disruption of lipid metabolism and gut microbiota functions. With diffusion-edited NMR spectral data, we further observed the STZ-induced significant elevation of monounsaturated fatty acids and total unsaturated fatty acids together with reductions in PUFA-to-MUFA ratio in the blood plasma. These findings provided details of the time-dependent metabonomic changes in the progressive development of the STZ-induced diabetes mellitus and showed the possibility of detecting the biochemical changes in the early stage of type 1 diabetic genesis.

Serum metabonomic study of two Uyghur families with maturity-onset diabetes of the young

Objective To study the characteristics of serum metabolites in two Uyghur families with maturityonset diabetes of the young(MODY).Methods Two MODY families were composed of four generations of Uyghur with 52 members collected from Kashgar region,Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.The general information,blood glucose and lipid levels,and blood pressure were analyzed.Using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR )spectroscopy,serum metabolites were measured for each subject.After having conducted data pretreatment on the spectrogram,orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis ( OPLS-DA ) was used to interpret data.The subjects were divided into two groups according to blood glucose ( diabetes and non-diabetes ),blood pressure,body mass index ( BMI ) for comparing differences in the metabolites.The differences of serum metabolic components between two groups were determined using pearson correlation coefficients with significant difference detection and two-dimensional spectrum technology.Results lsoleucine and tyrosine levels in diabetes group were decreased significantly,while α-glucose and β-glucose levels were increased significantly compared with non-diabetes group( all P＜0.05 ).Citrate,phaseomannite,1 -methyl histidine,and tyrosine levels in hypertension group were all decreased significantly compared with normal blood pressure group( all P＜0.05 ).No significant metabonomic differences were observed between normal BMI group and high BMI group.Conclusions Metabonomic changes in diabetic patients from MODY families indicate that diabetic patients suffer from disordered tricarboxylic acid cycle ( TCA cycle )metabolism,with reduced glycolysis of glycogen in liver and muscle.There exist the metabolic disorder in TCA cycle and obstruction of fat metabolism in patients with hypertension from the MODY families. Key words: Maturity-onset diabetes of the young; Pedigree; Metabonomics; 1H nuclear magnetic resonance

Phytochemical Diversity of Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) Cultivars by Anthocyanin Determination and Metabolomic Profiling with Chemometric Analysis

Originally native to the eastern United States, American cranberry ( Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, family Ericaceae) cultivation of native and hybrid varieties has spread across North America. Herein is reported the phytochemical diversity of five cranberry cultivars (Stevens, Ben Lear, Bergman, Pilgrim, and GH1) collected in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, by anthocyanin content and UPLC-TOF-MS metabolomic profiling. The anthocyanin content for biological replicates (n = 5) was determined as 7.98 ± 5.83, Ben Lear; 7.02 ± 1.75, Bergman; 6.05 ± 2.51, GH1; 3.28 ± 1.88, Pilgrim; and 2.81 ± 0.81, Stevens. Using subtractive metabonomic algorithms 6481 compounds were found conserved across all varietals, with 136 (Ben Lear), 84 (Bergman), 91 (GH1), 128 (Pilgrim), and 165 (Stevens) unique compounds observed. Principal component analysis (PCA) did not differentiate varieties, whereas partial least-squares discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) exhibited clustering patterns. Univariate statistical approaches were applied to the data set, establishing significance of values and assessing quality of the models. Metabolomic profiling with chemometric analysis proved to be useful for characterizing metabonomic changes across cranberry varieties.

Metabonomic analysis of hepatitis E patients shows deregulated metabolic cycles and abnormalities in amino acid metabolism

Hepatitis E, which is endemic to resource-poor regions of the world, is largely an acute and self-limiting disease, but some patients have an increased susceptibility to develop fulminant hepatitis. The pathogenesis of hepatitis E in humans is poorly characterized. To understand the metabolic pathways involved in the pathophysiology of hepatitis E, we have used (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify various metabolites in the plasma and urine of the patients with hepatitis E. These were compared with specimens from patients with acute hepatitis B as disease controls and healthy volunteers. Data were analysed using chemometric statistical methods and metabolite databases. The main metabonomic changes found in patients with hepatitis E, but not in those with hepatitis B, included increased plasma levels of L-isoleucine, acetone, and glycerol, reduced plasma levels of glycine, and reduced urinary levels of imidazole, 3-aminoisobutanoic acid, 1-methylnicotinamide, biopterin, adenosine, 1-methylhistidine, and salicyluric acid. Patients with hepatitis E or B both showed increased levels of plasma and urinary L-proline and decreased levels of various other metabolites. Pathway analysis tools suggest the involvement of glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, urea cycle, and amino acid metabolism in patients with acute hepatitis E. These findings may help better understand the clinical and biochemical manifestations in this disease and the underlying pathophysiologic processes. Based on our findings, it would be worthwhile determining whether patients with hepatitis E are more prone to develop lactic acidosis and ketosis compared with other forms of viral hepatitis.

Comparison of Metabolic Profiling of Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside and Extracts from Blueberry in Aged Mice

The metabonomics changes of plasma and brain tissue after dietary supplementation with blueberry extracts (BBE) and cyanidin-3-O-galactoside from blueberry (BBM) in aged mice were investigated by (1)H NMR technique. The mice received intragastric administration of BBE (200 mg/kg/day), BBM (50 mg/kg/day), and saline water (0.9%) for 6 weeks, respectively, in the BBE, BBM, and control groups. At the end of the experiment, plasma and brain samples were collected for NMR analysis. The results demonstrated that the level of choline in plasma from BBE and BBM groups were obviously elevated relative to the control group, whereas the levels of lactate and phosphocholine in plasma were remarkably reduced. Compared with those in the control group, the levels of choline and GABA in the brain from the BBE group were obviously increased, whereas glutamate and phosphocholine in the BBE group were significantly decreased. The level of taurine in the brain from the BBM group was particularly higher than that in the control group. These results indicated supplementation with BBE or BBM might induce similar changes of endogenous plasma and brain metabolic profiles in aged mice.

Serum Metabonomic Study of 2 Uyghur Probable MODY Families Based on 1H NMR

Objective: To study the characteristics of changes in serum metabolites in two Uyghur families with probable maturity-onset diabetes of young (MODY). Method: We gathered two probable MODY families composed of four generations of Uyghurs from Kashgar region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. A total of 52 family members were gathered. Their general information, measured blood glucose levels, blood lipid levels, and blood pressure were analyzed. Using 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, serum metabolites were measured for each study participants. After having conducted data pretreatment on the spectrogram, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to interpret data. We divided subjects into two groups according to blood glucose (norrmal and high), blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) levels, and compared the metabolites. We determined differences of metabolism components between each group's serum using pearson correlation coefficients with significant difference detection and two-dimensional spectrum technology. Results: ?Isoleucine and tyrosine levels were decreased significantly (p<0.05) and ?-glucose, ?-glucose levels were increased obviously(p<0.05), when high blood glucose group compared with normal blood glucose group ?Citrate, phaseomannite, 1-methyl histidine and tyrosine levels were all decreased significantly(p<0.05), When comparing serum metabolites between hypertension group and norrmal blood pressure group in probable MODY family members ?No significant metabonomic changes were observed when comparing norrmal BMI group and high BMI group. Conclusion: The metabolites in the serum of Uyghur probable MODY family members were very different in different groups. Isoleucine, citrate, inositol, 1-methylhistidine and tyrosine are the differential metabolites, these metabolites can be considered as candidate biomarkers for predicting probable MODY. Differences of the metabolits in serum of probable MODY families suggested that the TCA cycle metabolic disorder and the obstruction of fat metabolism in the patients of the probable MODY families.

Metabonomic investigation of liver profiles of nonpolar metabolites obtained from alcohol-dosed rats and mice using high mass accuracy MSn analysis.

Alcoholism is a complex disorder that, in man, appears to be genetically influenced, although the underlying genes and molecular pathways are not completely known. Here, the intragastric alcohol feeding model in rodents was used together with high mass accuracy LC-MS(n) analysis to assess the metabonomic changes in nonpolar metabolite profiles for livers from control and alcohol-treated rats and mice. Ion signals with a peak area variance of less than 30% (based on repeat analysis of a pooled quality control sample analyzed throughout the batch) were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis (using principal components analysis, PCA). PCA revealed robust differences between profiles from control and alcohol-treated animals from both species. The major metabolites seen to differ between control and alcohol-treated animals were identified using high accuracy MS(n) data and verified using external search engines ( http://www.lipidmaps.org ; http://www.hmdb.ca; http://www.genome.jp/kegg/ ) and authentic standards. The main metabolite classes to show major changes in the alcoholic liver-derived samples were fatty acyls, fatty acid ethyl esters, glycerolipids, and phosphatidylethanol homologues. Significant metabolites that were up-regulated by alcohol treatment in both rat and mouse livers included fatty acyls, metabolites such as octadecatrienoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, a number of fatty acid ethyl esters such as ethyl arachidonate, ethyl docosahexaenoic acid, ethyl linoleate, and ethyl oleate and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) homologues (predominantly PEth 18:0/18:2 and PEth 16:0/18:2; PEth homologues are currently considered as potential biomarkers for harmful and prolonged alcohol consumption in man). A number of glycerophospholipids resulted in both up-regulation (m/z 903.7436 [M + H](+) corresponding to a triglyceride) and down-regulation (m/z 667.5296 [M + H](+) corresponding to a diglyceride). Metabolite profiles were broadly similar in both mouse and rat models. However, there were a number of significant differences in the alcohol-treated group particularly in the marked down-regulation of retinol and free cholesterol in the mouse compared to the rat. Unique markers for alcohol treatment included ethyl docosahexaenoic acid. Metabolites were identified with high confidence using predominantly negative ion MS(n) data for the fatty acyl components to match to www.lipidmaps.org MS and MS/MS databases; interpreting positive ion data needed to take into account possible adduct ions which may confound the identification of other lipid classes. The observed changes in lipid profiles were consistent with alcohol-induced liver injury in humans.

Systems Responses of Rats to Aflatoxin B1 Exposure Revealed with Metabonomic Changes in Multiple Biological Matrices

Exposure to aflatoxins causes liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma posing a significant health risk for human populations and livestock. To understand the mammalian systems responses to aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1) exposure, we analyzed the AFB1-induced metabonomic changes in multiple biological matrices (plasma, urine, and liver) of rats using (1)H NMR spectroscopy together with clinical biochemistry and histopathologic assessments. We found that AFB1 exposure caused significant elevation of glucose, amino acids, and choline metabolites (choline, phosphocholine, and glycerophosphocholine) in plasma but reduction of plasma lipids. AFB1 also induced elevation of liver lipids, amino acids (tyrosine, histidine, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine), choline, and nucleic acid metabolites (inosine, adenosine, and uridine) together with reduction of hepatic glycogen and glucose. AFB1 further caused decreases in urinary TCA cycle intermediates (2-oxoglutarate and citrate) and elevation of gut microbiota cometabolites (phenylacetylglycine and hippurate). These indicated that AFB1 exposure caused hepatic steatosis accompanied with widespread metabolic changes including lipid and cell membrane metabolisms, protein biosynthesis, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and gut microbiota functions. This implied that AFB1 exposure probably caused oxidative-stress-mediated impairments of mitochondria functions. These findings provide an overview of biochemical consequences of AFB1 exposure and comprehensive insights into the metabolic aspects of AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.