Search Results (4,424)

Triazole fungicides can threaten plants as abiotic stressors but can also positively affect plant defense by inducing priming. Thus, plant yield is also both protected and endangered by triazoles that may influence several metabolic pathways during maturation processes, such as the biosynthesis of saccharides or secondary metabolites. Here, Solanum lycopersicum L. plants were exposed to foliar and soil applications of penconazole, tebuconazole, or their combination, and their resulting effect on tomato fruits was followed. The exposure to the equimolar mixture of both triazoles influenced the representation of free proteinogenic amino acids, especially Gln, Glu, Gly, Ile, Lys, Ser and Pro, saccharide content, and led to a significant increase in the contents of total phenolics and flavonoids as well as positive stimulation of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system. Among the identified secondary metabolites, the most abundant was naringenin, followed by chlorogenic acid in tomato peel. In turn, all triazole-treated groups showed a significantly lower content of rosmarinic acid in comparison with the control. Foliar application of penconazole affected the fruit more than other single triazole applications, showing a significant decrease in antioxidant capacity, the total content of secondary metabolites, and the activities of total membrane-bound peroxidases and ascorbate peroxidase. Full article

Autoimmune diseases, characterized by the immune system’s loss of self-tolerance, lack definitive diagnostic tests, necessitating the search for reliable biomarkers. This systematic review aims to identify common metabolite changes across multiple autoimmune diseases. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic literature review by searching MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus (Elsevier) using keywords “Metabolomics”, “Autoimmune diseases”, and “Metabolic changes”. Articles published in English up to March 2023 were included without a specific start date filter. Among 257 studies searched, 88 full-text articles met the inclusion criteria. The included articles were categorized based on analyzed biological fluids: 33 on serum, 21 on plasma, 15 on feces, 7 on urine, and 12 on other biological fluids. Each study presented different metabolites with indications of up-regulation or down-regulation when available. The current study’s findings suggest that amino acid metabolism may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for autoimmune diseases, particularly in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Crohn’s disease (CD). While other metabolic alterations were reported, it implies that autoimmune disorders trigger multi-metabolite changes rather than singular alterations. These shifts could be consequential outcomes of autoimmune disorders, representing a more complex interplay. Further studies are needed to validate the metabolomics findings associated with autoimmune diseases. Full article

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is suitable for the analysis of non-polar analytes. Free amino acids (AA) are polar, zwitterionic, non-volatile and thermally labile analytes. Chemical derivatization of AA is indispensable for their measurement by GC-MS. Specific conversion of AA to their unlabeled methyl esters (d₀Me) using 2 M HCl in methanol (CH₃OH) is a suitable derivatization procedure (60 min, 80 °C). Performance of this reaction in 2 M HCl in tetradeutero-methanol (CD₃OD) generates deuterated methyl esters (d₃Me) of AA, which can be used as internal standards in GC-MS. d₀Me-AA and d₃Me-AA require subsequent conversion to their pentafluoropropionyl (PFP) derivatives for GC-MS analysis using pentafluoropropionic anhydride (PFPA) in ethyl acetate (30 min, 65 °C). d₀Me-AA-PFP and d₃Me-AA-PFP derivatives of AA are readily extractable into water-immiscible, GC-compatible organic solvents such as toluene. d₀Me-AA-PFP and d₃Me-AA-PFP derivatives are stable in toluene extracts for several weeks, thus enabling high throughput quantitative measurement of biological AA by GC-MS using in situ prepared d₃Me-AA as internal standards in OMICS format. Here, we describe the development of a novel OMICS-compatible QC system and demonstrate its utility for the quality control of quantitative analysis of 21 free AA and metabolites in human plasma samples by GC-MS as Me-PFP derivatives. The QC system involves cross-standardization of the concentrations of the AA in their aqueous solutions at four concentration levels and a quantitative control of AA at the same four concentration levels in pooled human plasma samples. The retention time (t_R)-based isotope effects (IE) and the difference (δ(H/D) of the retention times of the d₀Me-AA-PFP derivatives (t_R(H)) and the d₃Me-AA-PFP derivatives (t_R(D)) were determined in study human plasma samples of a nutritional study (n = 353) and in co-processed QC human plasma samples (n = 64). In total, more than 400 plasma samples were measured in eight runs in seven working days performed by a single person. The proposed QC system provides information about the quantitative performance of the GC-MS analysis of AA in human plasma. IE, δ(H/D) and a massive drop of the peak area values of the d₃Me-AA-PFP derivatives may be suitable as additional parameters of qualitative analysis in targeted GC-MS amino acid-OMICS. Full article

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in gastrointestinal barrier function, tumorigenesis, and is an emerging drug target. The resident microbiota is capable of metabolizing tryptophan to metabolites that are AHR ligands (e.g., indole-3-acetate). Recently, a novel set of mutagenic tryptophan metabolites named indolimines have been identified that are produced by M. morganii in the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we determined that indolimine-200, -214, and -248 are direct AHR ligands that can induce Cyp1a1 transcription and subsequent CYP1A1 enzymatic activity capable of metabolizing the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in microsomal assays. In addition, indolimines enhance IL6 expression in a colonic tumor cell line in combination with cytokine treatment. The concentration of indolimine-248 that induces AHR transcriptional activity failed to increase DNA damage. These observations reveal an additional aspect of how indolimines may alter colonic tumorigenesis beyond mutagenic activity. Full article

Univariate analyses of metabolomics data currently follow a frequentist approach, using p-values to reject a null hypothesis. We here propose the use of Bayesian statistics to quantify evidence supporting different hypotheses and discriminate between the null hypothesis versus the lack of statistical power. We used metabolomics data from three independent human cohorts that studied the plasma signatures of subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The data are publicly available, covering 84–197 subjects in each study with 562–888 identified metabolites of which 777 were common between the two studies and 93 were compounds reported in all three studies. We show how Bayesian statistics incorporates results from one study as “prior information” into the next study, thereby improving the overall assessment of the likelihood of finding specific differences between plasma metabolite levels. Using classic statistics and Benjamini–Hochberg FDR-corrections, Study 1 detected 18 metabolic differences and Study 2 detected no differences. Using Bayesian statistics on the same data, we found a high likelihood that 97 compounds were altered in concentration in Study 2, after using the results of Study 1 as the prior distributions. These findings included lower levels of peroxisome-produced ether-lipids, higher levels of long-chain unsaturated triacylglycerides, and the presence of exposome compounds that are explained by the difference in diet and medication between healthy subjects and ME/CFS patients. Although Study 3 reported only 92 compounds in common with the other two studies, these major differences were confirmed. We also found that prostaglandin F2alpha, a lipid mediator of physiological relevance, was reduced in ME/CFS patients across all three studies. The use of Bayesian statistics led to biological conclusions from metabolomic data that were not found through frequentist approaches. We propose that Bayesian statistics is highly useful for studies with similar research designs if similar metabolomic assays are used. Full article

Port Wine Birthmarks (PWBs) are a congenital vascular malformation on the skin, occurring in 1–3 per 1000 live births. We have recently generated PWB-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as clinically relevant disease models. The metabolites associated with the pathological phenotypes of PWB-derived iPSCs are unknown, and so we aim to explore them in this study. Metabolites were separated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography and screened with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant, multivariate, and univariate analyses were used to identify differential metabolites (DMs). KEGG analysis was used to determine the enrichment of metabolic pathways. A total of 339 metabolites was identified. There were 22 DMs, among which nine were downregulated—including sphingosine—and 13 were upregulated, including glutathione in PWB iPSCs, as compared to controls. Pathway enrichment analysis confirmed the upregulation of glutathione and the downregulation of sphingolipid metabolism in PWB-derived iPSCs as compared to normal ones. We next examined the expression patterns of the key molecules associated with glutathione metabolism in PWB lesions. We found that hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α), glutathione S-transferase Pi 1 (GSTP1), γ-glutamyl transferase 7 (GGT7), and glutamate cysteine ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) were upregulated in PWB vasculatures as compared to blood vessels in normal skin. Other significantly affected metabolic pathways in PWB iPSCs included pentose and glucuronate interconversions; amino sugar and nucleotide sugars; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate; arginine, purine, D-glutamine, and D-glutamate; arachidonic acid, glyoxylate, and dicarboxylate; nitrogen, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, pyrimidine, galactose, ascorbate, and aldarate; and starch and sucrose. Our data demonstrated that there were perturbations in sphingolipid and cellular redox homeostasis in PWB vasculatures, which could facilitate cell survival and pathological progression. Our data implied that the upregulation of glutathione could contribute to laser-resistant phenotypes in some PWB vasculatures. Full article

Selenium (Se)-enriched habitats have led to chronic selenosis, seriously affecting the health and survival of Procapra przewalskii (P. przewalskii). Our targets were to explore the molecular mechanisms of chronic selenosis and to look for a new way to protect endangered species. The mineral contents of soils, grass, blood, and muscle were analyzed. The biochemical indices, antioxidant capability, and immune function were also investigated. The analyses of proteomics and metabolomics were also carried out. The results showed that the Se contents in the muscle and blood of P. przewalskii, and the soil and grass in the Se-enriched habitats were significantly higher than those in healthy pastures. The P. przewalskii in the Se-enriched habitats showed symptoms of anemia, decreased antioxidant capability, and low immune function. A total of 44 differential proteins and 36 differential metabolites were screened by analyzing their proteomics and metabolomics. These differential proteins and metabolites were involved in glycolysis pathway, amino acid biosynthesis, carbon metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and energy metabolism. In particular, phenylalanine metabolism was the common pathway of proteomics and metabolomics, which was an important finding in studying the mechanism of chronic selenosis in animals. This study will help us to further understand the mechanism of chronic selenosis in P. przewalskii, and it provides a scientific basis for the protection of endangered species in Se-enriched habitats. Full article

Treatment of bipolar disorder is prone to prolongation despite various treatments, including medication. The efficacy of exercise treatment (i.e., interventions involving physical exercise and sports intervention) for major depressive disorders has been reported for depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and sleep disturbances. However, its efficacy for bipolar disorder has yet to be established. We designed a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial that includes 100 patients with bipolar disorder aged 20–65 years. This will be a cluster-randomized, two-group trial that will be conducted in ten psychiatric hospitals. The hospitals will be randomly assigned to an exercise intervention + treatment as usual (exercise) group or a placebo exercise intervention (stretching) + treatment as usual (control) group. Patients will be assessed using an extensive battery of clinical tests, physical parameters, sleep status, biological parameters (cytokines, neurotrophic factors), and genetic parameters (DNA and RNA) at baseline after a 6-week intervention period, at 10-week follow-up, and at 6-month follow-up. This innovative study may provide important evidence for the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of bipolar depression based on clinical, biological, genetic, and physiological markers. Full article

Bile acids (BAs), endogenous acidic steroids synthetized from cholesterol in the liver, play a key role in the gut–liver axis physiopathology, including in hepatotoxicity, intestinal inflammatory processes, and cholesterol homeostasis. Faecal Oxo-BAs, relatively stable intermediates of oxidation/epimerization reactions of the BA hydroxyls, could be relevant to investigating the crosstalk in the liver–gut axis and the relationship between diseases and alterations in microbiota composition. A paucity of information currently exists on faecal BA profiles in dogs with and without chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE). Comprehensive assessment of 31 molecules among faecal BAs and related microbiota metabolites was conducted with high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Odds ratios (ORs) for associations of BAs with CIE were estimated using logistic regression. Principal component analysis was performed to find differences between the control and pathological dogs. Higher levels of primary BAs and muricholic acids, and lower levels of secondary BAs were found in pathological dogs. Higher concentrations in faecal oxo-metabolites were associated with the absence of CIE (OR < 1). This study shows a marked difference in faecal BA profiles between dogs with and without CIE. Further research will be needed to better understand the role of oxo-BAs and muricholic acids in CIE dogs. Full article

Maintaining systemic homeostasis requires the coordination of different organs and tissues in the body. Our bodies rely on complex inter-organ communications to adapt to perturbations or changes in metabolic homeostasis. Consequently, the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues produce and secrete specific organokines such as hepatokines, myokines, and adipokines in response to nutritional and environmental stimuli. Emerging evidence suggests that dysregulation of the interplay of organokines between organs is associated with the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Strategies aimed at remodeling organokines may be effective therapeutic interventions. Diet modification and exercise have been established as the first-line therapeutic intervention to prevent or treat metabolic diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge on organokines secreted by the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues in obesity and T2D. Additionally, we highlighted the effects of diet/nutrition and exercise on the remodeling of organokines in obesity and T2D. Specifically, we investigated the ameliorative effects of caloric restriction, selective nutrients including ω3 PUFAs, selenium, vitamins, and metabolites of vitamins, and acute/chronic exercise on the dysregulation of organokines in obesity and T2D. Finally, this study dissected the underlying molecular mechanisms by which nutrition and exercise regulate the expression and secretion of organokines in specific tissues. Full article

In this study, we evaluated the extraction effect of three different extractants, namely hexane + ether (v/v = 3:1), acetonitrile and ethyl acetate, on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in placenta detected and analysed by triple quadrupole gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results showed that n-hexane + ether (v/v = 3:1) had the highest extraction efficiency. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) for the 10 PAHs were 0.003–0.0167 μg/L with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 1.4–5.48% and detection rates of 68.19–107.05%, and the correlation coefficients were (R², 0.9982–0.9999). The LODs for the nine PAEs were 0.0015–3.5714 μg/L and the correlation coefficients were (R², 0.9982–0.9999). The limits of detection (S/N = 3) for the nine PAHs were 0.0015–0.5714 μg/L with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 3.15–8.37%, and the detection rates were 80.45–112.59% with correlations of (R², 0.9972–0.9998). The method was applied to the analysis of PAHs and phthalates in placenta samples from pregnant women. The method’s accuracy and applicability were demonstrated. In comparison with other methods for the detection of PAEs and PAHs, the method proposed in this paper has a wider linear range, lower minimum detection limit and comparable recovery with good correlation. This paper is dedicated to providing another method for improving the performance of extracting solid tissues. Full article

This study aimed to characterize dietary protein patterns (DPPs) in a sample pool of 298 well-nourished pregnant women and explore potential associations between DPPs and neonatal anthropometrics. Maternal dietary data were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Neonatal anthropometrics were abstracted from health booklets. A hierarchical cluster analysis identified three DPPs: “Dairy-focused”, “Med-fusion”, and “Traditional-inspired”. The “Dairy-focused” DPP exhibited the highest protein intake (p < 0.001), predominantly animal protein (p < 0.001), while the “Traditional-inspired” DPP presented higher plant protein (p < 0.001) and fiber intakes (p < 0.001), and, therefore, a reduced carbohydrate-to-fiber quotient (p < 0.001). The “Med-fusion” DPP had the lowest protein-to-fat ratio (p < 0.001). Infants of women following the “Dairy-focused” DPP had the highest birth height centiles (p = 0.007) and the lowest ponderal index (p = 0.003). The NMR-metabolomics approach was implemented on a subset of women that provided amniotic fluid (AF) specimens (n = 62) to elucidate distinct metabolic signatures associated with DPPs. PCA and OPLS-DA models verified the adherence to three DPPs, revealing that the levels of several amino acids (AAs) were the highest in “Dairy-focused”, reflecting its protein-rich nature. The “Traditional-inspired” DPP showed decreased AAs and glucose levels. This knowledge may contribute to optimizing maternal dietary recommendations. Further research is needed to validate these findings and better understand the relationships between maternal diet, AF metabolic signature, and neonatal anthropometrics. Full article

Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to explore the effect of psoriasis on lipid metabolism traits and myocardial infarction (MI) risk and to analyze the proportion of the mediatory effect of lipid metabolism traits. Publicly accessible summary-level data for psoriasis, lipid metabolism traits, and MI were provided by the genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of the FinnGen Biobank, UK Biobank, and CARDIoGRAMplusC4D, respectively. A two-sample MR was carried out to evaluate the association of psoriasis with lipid metabolism traits and MI. Furthermore, the current research focused on determining if the impact of psoriasis on MI is mediated by lipid metabolism traits. The outcomes of the random effect inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) technique indicated a substantial link between genetically predicted psoriasis and a higher risk of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (OR: 1.006, 95% CI: 1.005–1.007, p = 0.024), apolipoprotein B (OR: 1.018, 95% CI: 1.010–1.026, p = 0.015), lipoprotein A (OR: 1.006, 95% CI: 1.002–1.010, p = 0.039), and MI (OR: 1.066, 95% CI: 1.014–1.121, p = 0.012). The percentages of the mediatory effect of LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein A under psoriasis conditions on MI risk was 7.4%, 10.2%, and 4.1%, respectively. Psoriasis was causally linked to an elevated risk of lipid metabolism levels and MI. This study further demonstrated that LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein A mediated the effect of psoriasis on MI risk. And timely lipid-lowering treatment should be given to MI patients. Full article

Vaccination programs in the first years of a child’s life are effective and extremely important strategies for the successful eradication of diseases. However, as no intervention is without risks, the metal-based components of some vaccines, such as thimerosal (TMS), a preservative composed of ethylmercury, and aluminum (Al), have begun to generate distrust on the part of the population. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of exposure to thimerosal and aluminum hydroxide (alone or in mixture) on Danio rerio (zebrafish) specimens. The fish were exposed to thimerosal and/or aluminum hydroxide intraperitoneally. The liver, kidney, and brain were removed for a biochemical biomarker analysis, histopathological analysis, and metal quantification. As a result, we observed changes in the activity of the analyzed enzymes (SOD, GST, GPx) in the kidney and brain of the zebrafish, a reduction in GSH levels in all analyzed tissues, and a reduction in MT levels in the kidney and liver as well as in the brain. Changes in AChE enzyme activity were observed. The biochemical results corroborate the changes observed in the lesion index and histomorphology sections. We emphasize the importance of joint research on these compounds to increase the population’s safety against their possible toxic effects. Full article

The objective of the study was to investigate the preventive effect on obesity-related conditions of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract (RE) in young, healthy rats fed a high-fat Western-style diet to complement the existing knowledge gap concerning the anti-obesity effects of RE in vivo. Sprague Dawley rats (71.3 ± 0.46 g) were fed a high-fat Western-style diet (WD) or WD containing either 1 g/kg feed or 4 g/kg feed RE for six weeks. A group fed standard chow served as a negative control. The treatments did not affect body weight; however, the liver fat percentage was reduced in rats fed RE, and NMR analyses of liver tissue indicated that total cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver were reduced. In plasma, HDL cholesterol was increased while triglycerides were decreased. Rats fed high RE had significantly increased fasting plasma concentrations of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Proteomics analyses of liver tissue showed that RE increased enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation, possibly associated with the higher fasting GLP-1 levels, which may explain the improvement of the overall lipid profile and hepatic fat accumulation. Furthermore, high levels of succinic acid in the cecal content of RE-treated animals suggested a modulation of the microbiota composition. In conclusion, our results suggest that RE may alleviate the effects of consuming a high-fat diet through increased GLP-1 secretion and changes in microbiota composition. Full article