Integrative Molecular Phenotyping
INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR
PHENOTYPING
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
WHEELOCK LABORATORY

PubMed

Perspectives on Data Analysis in Metabolomics: Points of Agreement and Disagreement from the 2018 ASMS Fall Workshop.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Perspectives on Data Analysis in Metabolomics: Points of Agreement and Disagreement from the 2018 ASMS Fall Workshop. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2019 Oct 01;30(10):2031-2036 Authors: Baker ES, Patti GJ Abstract In November 2018, the American Society for Mass Spectrometry hosted the Annual Fall Workshop on informatic methods in metabolomics. The Workshop included sixteen lectures presented by twelve invited speakers. The focus of the talks was untargeted metabolomics performed with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. In this review, we highlight five recurring topics that were covered by multiple presenters: (i) data sharing, (ii) artifacts and contaminants, (iii) feature degeneracy, (iv) database organization, and (v) requirements for metabolite identification. Our objective here is to present viewpoints that were widely shared among participants, as well as those in which varying opinions were articulated. We note that most of the presenting speakers employed different data processing software, which underscores the diversity of informatic programs currently being used in metabolomics. We conclude with our thoughts on the potential role of reference datasets as a step towards standardizing data processing methods in metabolomics. PMID: 31951742 [PubMed - in process]

Exposure to the trichloroethylene metabolite S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine causes compensatory changes to macronutrient utilization and energy metabolism in placental HTR-8/SVneo cells.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Exposure to the trichloroethylene metabolite S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine causes compensatory changes to macronutrient utilization and energy metabolism in placental HTR-8/SVneo cells. Chem Res Toxicol. 2020 Jan 17;: Authors: Elkin ER, Bridges D, Harris SM, Loch-Caruso RK Abstract Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widespread environmental contaminant following decades of use as an industrial solvent, improper disposal and remediation challenges. Consequently, TCE exposure continues to constitute a risk to human health. Despite epidemiological evidence associating exposure with adverse birth outcomes, the effects of TCE and its metabolite S-(1, 2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC) on the placenta remain undetermined. Flexible and efficient macronutrient and energy metabolism pathway utilization is essential for placental cell physiological adaptability. Because DCVC is known to compromise cellular energy status and disrupt energy metabolism in renal proximal tubular cells, this study investigated the effects of DCVC on cellular energy status and energy metabolism pathways in placental cells. Human extravillous trophoblast cells, HTR-8/SVneo, were exposed to 5-20 µM DCVC for 6 or 12 h. After establishing concentration and exposure duration thresholds for DCVC-induced cytotoxicity, targeted metabolomics was used to evaluate overall energy status and metabolite concentrations from energy metabolism pathways. The data revealed glucose metabolism perturbations including a time-dependent accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate+frutose-6-phosphate (G6P+F6P) as well as independent shunting of glucose intermediates that diminished with time, with modest energy status decline but in the absence of significant changes in ATP concentrations. Furthermore, metabolic profiling suggested that DCVC stimulated compensatory utilization of glycerol, lipid and amino acid metabolism to provide intermediate substrates entering downstream in the glycolytic pathway or the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Lastly, amino acid deprivation increased susceptibility to DCVC-induced cytotoxicity. Taken together, these results suggest that DCVC caused metabolic perturbations necessitating adaptations in macronutrient and energy metabolism pathway utilization in order to maintain adequate ATP levels. PMID: 31951115 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Targeted Realignment of LC-MS Profiles by Neighbor-wise Compound-specific Graphical Time Warping with Misalignment Detection.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Targeted Realignment of LC-MS Profiles by Neighbor-wise Compound-specific Graphical Time Warping with Misalignment Detection. Bioinformatics. 2020 Jan 17;: Authors: Wu CT, Wang Y, Wang Y, Ebbels T, Karaman I, Graça G, Pinto R, Herrington DM, Wang Y, Yu G Abstract MOTIVATION: Liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a standard method for proteomics and metabolomics analysis of biological samples. Unfortunately, it suffers from various changes in the retention times (RT) of the same compound in different samples, and these must be subsequently corrected (aligned) during data processing. Classic alignment methods such as in the popular XCMS package often assume a single time-warping function for each sample. Thus, the potentially varying RT drift for compounds with different masses in a sample is neglected in these methods. Moreover, the systematic change in RT drift across run order is often not considered by alignment algorithms. Therefore, these methods cannot effectively correct all misalignments. For a large-scale experiment involving many samples, the existence of misalignment becomes inevitable and concerning. RESULTS: Here we describe an integrated reference-free profile alignment method, neighbor-wise compound-specific Graphical Time Warping (ncGTW), that can detect misaligned features and align profiles by leveraging expected RT drift structures and compound-specific warping functions. Specifically, ncGTW uses individualized warping functions for different compounds and assigns constraint edges on warping functions of neighboring samples. Validated with both realistic synthetic data and internal quality control samples, ncGTW applied to two large-scale metabolomics LC-MS datasets identifies many misaligned features and successfully realigns them. These features would otherwise be discarded or uncorrected using existing methods. The ncGTW software tool is developed currently as a plug-in to detect and realign misaligned features present in standard XCMS output. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: An R package of ncGTW is freely available at Bioconductor and https://github.com/ChiungTingWu/ncGTW. A detailed user's manual and a vignette are provided within the package. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID: 31950989 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Sex-related differences in urinary immune-related metabolic profiling of alopecia areata patients.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Sex-related differences in urinary immune-related metabolic profiling of alopecia areata patients. Metabolomics. 2020 Jan 16;16(2):15 Authors: Lee YR, Kim H, Lew BL, Sim WY, Lee J, Oh HB, Hong J, Chung BC Abstract INTRODUCTION: Alopecia areata is a well-known autoimmune disease affecting humans. Polyamines are closely associated with proliferation and inflammation, and steroid hormones are involved in immune responses. Additionally, bile acids play roles in immune homeostasis by activating various signaling pathways; however, the roles of these substances and their metabolites in alopecia areata remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to identify differences in metabolite levels in urine samples from patients with alopecia areata and healthy controls. METHODS: To assess polyamine, androgen, and bile acid concentrations, we performed high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Our results showed that spermine and dehydroepiandrosterone levels differed significantly between male patients and controls, whereas ursodeoxycholic acid levels were significantly higher in female patients with alopecia areata than in controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested different urinary polyamine, androgen, and bile acid concentrations between alopecia areata patients and normal controls. Additionally, levels of endogenous substances varied according to sex, and this should be considered when developing appropriate treatments and diagnostic techniques. Our findings improve our understanding of polyamine, androgen, and bile acid profiles in patients with alopecia areata and highlight the need to consider sex-related differences. PMID: 31950279 [PubMed - in process]

Metabolomics Reveals that Cysteine Metabolism Plays a Role in Celastrol-Induced Mitochondrial Apoptosis in HL-60 and NB-4 Cells.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Metabolomics Reveals that Cysteine Metabolism Plays a Role in Celastrol-Induced Mitochondrial Apoptosis in HL-60 and NB-4 Cells. Sci Rep. 2020 Jan 16;10(1):471 Authors: Chen M, Yang J, Li L, Hu Y, Lu X, Sun R, Wang Y, Wang X, Zhang X Abstract Recently, celastrol has shown great potential for inducing apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells, especially acute promyelocytic leukaemia cells. However, the mechanism is poorly understood. Metabolomics provides an overall understanding of metabolic mechanisms to illustrate celastrol's mechanism of action. We treated both nude mice bearing HL-60 cell xenografts in vivo and HL-60 cells as well as NB-4 cells in vitro with celastrol. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used for metabolomics analysis of HL-60 cells in vivo and for targeted L-cysteine analysis in HL-60 and NB-4 cells in vitro. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to assess mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species and apoptosis. Western blotting was conducted to detect the p53, Bax, cleaved caspase 9 and cleaved caspase 3 proteins. Celastrol inhibited tumour growth, induced apoptosis, and upregulated pro-apoptotic proteins in the xenograft tumour mouse model. Metabolomics showed that cysteine metabolism was the key metabolic alteration after celastrol treatment in HL-60 cells in vivo. Celastrol decreased L-cysteine in HL-60 cells. Acetylcysteine supplementation reversed reactive oxygen species accumulation and apoptosis induced by celastrol and reversed the dramatic decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential and upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins in HL-60 cells. In NB-4 cells, celastrol decreased L-cysteine, and acetylcysteine reversed celastrol-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation and apoptosis. We are the first to identify the involvement of a cysteine metabolism/reactive oxygen species/p53/Bax/caspase 9/caspase 3 pathway in celastrol-triggered mitochondrial apoptosis in HL-60 and NB-4 cells, providing a novel underlying mechanism through which celastrol could be used to treat acute myeloid leukaemia, especially acute promyelocytic leukaemia. PMID: 31949255 [PubMed - in process]

A Feedback Circuitry between Polycomb Signaling and Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase Enables Hepatic and Renal Tumorigenesis.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles A Feedback Circuitry between Polycomb Signaling and Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase Enables Hepatic and Renal Tumorigenesis. Cancer Res. 2020 Jan 16;: Authors: Liao K, Deng S, Xu L, Pan W, Yang S, Zheng F, Wu X, Hu H, Liu Z, Luo J, Zhang R, Kuang DM, Dong J, Wu Y, Zhang H, Zhou P, Bei JX, Xu Y, Ji Y, Wang P, Ju HQ, Xu RH, Li B Abstract Suppression of gluconeogenesis elevates glycolysis and is commonly observed in tumors derived from gluconeogenic tissues including liver and kidney, yet the definitive regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here we screened an array of transcription regulators and identified the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) as a key factor that inhibits gluconeogenesis in cancer cells. Specifically, EZH2 repressed the expression of a rate-limiting gluconeogenic enzyme fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), and promoted tumor growth primarily through FBP1 suppression. Furthermore, EZH2 was upregulated by genotoxins that commonly induce hepatic and renal tumorigenesis. Genotoxin treatments augmented EZH2 acetylation, leading to reduced association between EZH2 and its E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2. Consequently, EZH2 became less ubiquitinated and more stabilized, promoting FBP1 attenuation and tumor formation. Intriguingly, FBP1 physically interacted with EZH2, competed for EZH2 binding, and dissembled the polycomb complex. Therefore, FBP1 suppresses polycomb-initiated transcriptional responses, and constitutes a double-negative feedback loop indispensable for EZH2-promoted tumorigenesis. Finally, EZH2 and FBP1 levels were inversely correlated in tumor tissues and accurately predicted patient survival. This work reveals an unexpected crosstalk between epigenetic and metabolic events, and identifies a new feedback circuitry that highlights EZH2 inhibitors as liver and kidney cancer therapeutics. PMID: 31948940 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Real-Time Volatilomics: A Novel Approach for Analyzing Biological Samples.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Real-Time Volatilomics: A Novel Approach for Analyzing Biological Samples. Trends Plant Sci. 2020 Jan 13;: Authors: Majchrzak T, Wojnowski W, Rutkowska M, Wasik A Abstract The use of the 'omics techniques in environmental research has become common-place. The most widely implemented of these include metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, and transcriptomics. In recent years, a similar approach has also been taken with the analysis of volatiles from biological samples, giving rise to the so-called 'volatilomics' in plant analysis. Developments in direct infusion mass spectrometry (DI-MS) techniques have made it possible to monitor the changes in the composition of volatile flux from parts of plants, single specimens, and entire ecosystems in real-time. The application of these techniques enables a unique insight into the dynamic metabolic processes that occur in plants. Here, we provide an overview of the use of DI-MS in real-time volatilomics research involving plants. PMID: 31948793 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Lp(a)'s Odyssey: Should We Measure Lp(a) Post-ACS and What Should We Do With the Results?

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Lp(a)'s Odyssey: Should We Measure Lp(a) Post-ACS and What Should We Do With the Results? J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Jan 21;75(2):145-147 Authors: Mora S PMID: 31948642 [PubMed - in process]

Natural Compound Library Screening Identifies New Molecules for the Treatment of Cardiac Fibrosis and Diastolic Dysfunction.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Natural Compound Library Screening Identifies New Molecules for the Treatment of Cardiac Fibrosis and Diastolic Dysfunction. Circulation. 2020 Jan 17;: Authors: Schimmel K, Jung M, Foinquinos A, San José G, Beaumont J, Bock K, Grote-Levi L, Xiao K, Bär C, Pfanne A, Just A, Zimmer K, Ngoy S, López B, Ravassa S, Samolovac S, Janssen-Peters H, Remke J, Scherf K, Dangwal S, Piccoli MT, Kleemiss F, Kreutzer FP, Kenneweg F, Leonardy J, Hobuß L, Santer L, Do QT, Geffers R, Braesen JH, Schmitz J, Brandenberger C, Müller DN, Wilck N, Kaever V, Bähre H, Batkai S, Fiedler J, Alexander KM, Wertheim BM, Fisch S, Liao R, Diez J, González A, Thum T Abstract Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a hallmark of cardiac remodeling and functionally involved in heart failure (HF) development, a leading cause of deaths worldwide. Clinically there is no therapeutic strategy available that specifically attenuates maladaptive responses of cardiac fibroblasts, the effector cells of fibrosis in the heart. Therefore, we aimed at the development of novel anti-fibrotic therapeutics based on natural-derived substance library screens for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis. Methods: Anti-fibrotic drug candidates were identified by functional screening of 480 chemically diverse natural compounds in primary human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs), subsequent validation and mechanistic in vitro and in vivo studies. Hits were analyzed for dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation of HCFs, for modulation of apoptosis and extracellular matrix expression. In vitro findings were confirmed in vivo, using an angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated murine model of cardiac fibrosis in both preventive and therapeutic settings, as well as in the Dahl salt sensitive rat model. To investigate the mechanism underlying the anti-fibrotic potential of the lead compounds, treatment-dependent changes in the noncoding RNAome in primary HCFs were analyzed by RNA-deep sequencing. Results: High-throughput natural compound library screening identified 15 substances with antiproliferative effects in HCFs. Using multiple in vitro fibrosis assays and stringent selection algorithms we identified the steroid bufalin (from Chinese toad venom) and the alkaloid lycorine (from Amaryllidaceae species) to be effective anti-fibrotic molecules both in vitro and in vivo leading to improvement in diastolic function in two hypertension-dependent rodent models of cardiac fibrosis. Administration at effective doses did not change plasma damage markers nor the morphology of kidney and liver, providing first toxicological safety data. By next-generation sequencing we identified the conserved microRNA (miR) miR-671-5p and downstream the antifibrotic selenoprotein P1 (SEPP1) as common effectors of the anti-fibrotic compounds. Conclusions: We identified the molecules bufalin and lycorine as drug candidates for therapeutic applications in cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction. PMID: 31948273 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Metabolomics Analysis of the Deterioration Mechanism and Storage Time Limit of Tender Coconut Water during Storage.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Metabolomics Analysis of the Deterioration Mechanism and Storage Time Limit of Tender Coconut Water during Storage. Foods. 2020 Jan 03;9(1): Authors: Zhang Y, Chen W, Chen H, Zhong Q, Yun Y, Chen W Abstract Tender coconut water tastes sweet and is enjoyed by consumers, but its commercial development is restricted by an extremely short shelf life, which cannot be explained by existing research. UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics methods were used to identify and statistically analyze metabolites in coconut water under refrigerated storage. A multivariate statistical analysis method was used to analyze the UPLC-MS/MS datasets from 35 tender coconut water samples stored for 0-6 weeks. In addition, we identified other differentially expressed metabolites by selecting p-values and fold changes. Hierarchical cluster analysis and association analysis were performed with the differentially expressed metabolites. Metabolic pathways were analyzed using the KEGG database and the MetPA module of MetaboAnalyst. A total of 72 differentially expressed metabolites were identified in all groups. The OPLS-DA score chart showed that all samples were well grouped. Thirty-one metabolic pathways were enriched in the week 0-1 samples. The results showed that after a tender coconut is peeled, the maximum storage time at 4 °C is 1 week. Analysis of metabolic pathways related to coconut water storage using the KEGG and MetPA databases revealed that amino acid metabolism is one of the main causes of coconut water quality deterioration. PMID: 31947875 [PubMed]

Metabolomic Profiling of Fungal Pathogens Responsible for Root Rot in American Ginseng.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Metabolomic Profiling of Fungal Pathogens Responsible for Root Rot in American Ginseng. Metabolites. 2020 Jan 14;10(1): Authors: DesRochers N, Walsh JP, Renaud JB, Seifert KA, Yeung KK, Sumarah MW Abstract Ginseng root is an economically valuable crop in Canada at high risk of yield loss caused by the pathogenic fungus Ilyonectria mors-panacis, formerly known as Cylindrocarpon destructans. While this pathogen has been well-characterized from morphological and genetic perspectives, little is known about the secondary metabolites it produces and their role in pathogenicity. We used an untargeted tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based approach paired with global natural products social molecular networking (GNPS) to compare the metabolite profiles of virulent and avirulent Ilyonectria strains. The ethyl acetate extracts of 22 I. mors-panacis strains and closely related species were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Principal component analysis of LC-MS features resulted in two distinct groups, which corresponded to virulent and avirulent Ilyonectria strains. Virulent strains produced more types of compounds than the avirulent strains. The previously reported I. mors-panacis antifungal compound radicicol was present. Additionally, a number of related resorcyclic acid lactones (RALs) were putatively identified, namely pochonins and several additional derivatives of radicicol. Pochonins have not been previously reported in Ilyonectria spp. and have documented antimicrobial activity. This research contributes to our understanding of I. mors-panacis natural products and its pathogenic relationship with ginseng. PMID: 31947697 [PubMed]

Comprehensive Circulatory Metabolomics in ME/CFS Reveals Disrupted Metabolism of Acyl Lipids and Steroids.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Comprehensive Circulatory Metabolomics in ME/CFS Reveals Disrupted Metabolism of Acyl Lipids and Steroids. Metabolites. 2020 Jan 14;10(1): Authors: Germain A, Barupal DK, Levine SM, Hanson MR Abstract The latest worldwide prevalence rate projects that over 65 million patients suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), an illness with known effects on the functioning of the immune and nervous systems. We performed an extensive metabolomics analysis on the plasma of 52 female subjects, equally sampled between controls and ME/CFS patients, which delivered data for about 1750 blood compounds spanning 20 super-pathways, subdivided into 113 sub-pathways. Statistical analysis combined with pathway enrichment analysis points to a few disrupted metabolic pathways containing many unexplored compounds. The most intriguing finding concerns acyl cholines, belonging to the fatty acid metabolism sub-pathway of lipids, for which all compounds are consistently reduced in two distinct ME/CFS patient cohorts. We compiled the extremely limited knowledge about these compounds and regard them as promising in the quest to explain many of the ME/CFS symptoms. Another class of lipids with far-reaching activity on virtually all organ systems are steroids; androgenic, progestin, and corticosteroids are broadly reduced in our patient cohort. We also report on lower dipeptides and elevated sphingolipids abundance in patients compared to controls. Disturbances in the metabolism of many of these molecules can be linked to the profound organ system symptoms endured by ME/CFS patients. PMID: 31947545 [PubMed]

Early-Life Biomarkers for Psychosis Risk in Young People: Another Nail in the Coffin for Cartesian Dualism.

Sat, 18/01/2020 - 12:03
Related Articles Early-Life Biomarkers for Psychosis Risk in Young People: Another Nail in the Coffin for Cartesian Dualism. Biol Psychiatry. 2019 07 01;86(1):2-3 Authors: Khandaker GM PMID: 31221245 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

metabolomics; +32 new citations

Fri, 17/01/2020 - 14:54
32 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2020/01/17PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

metabolomics; +20 new citations

Thu, 16/01/2020 - 14:48
20 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2020/01/16PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

metabolomics; +19 new citations

Wed, 15/01/2020 - 14:36
19 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2020/01/15PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

metabolomics; +32 new citations

Tue, 14/01/2020 - 14:29
32 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results: metabolomics These pubmed results were generated on 2020/01/14PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

4,5 caffeoylquinic acid and scutellarin, identified by integrated metabolomics and proteomics approach as the active ingredients of Dengzhan Shengmai, act against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion by regulating glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses.

Sun, 12/01/2020 - 14:05
Related Articles 4,5 caffeoylquinic acid and scutellarin, identified by integrated metabolomics and proteomics approach as the active ingredients of Dengzhan Shengmai, act against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion by regulating glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Pharmacol Res. 2020 Jan 08;:104636 Authors: Sheng N, Zheng H, Li M, Li M, Wang Z, Peng Y, Yu H, Zhang J Abstract Dengzhan Shengmai (DZSM) is a proprietary Chinese medicine for remarkable curative effect as a treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, such as chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) and dementia based on evidence-based medicine, which have been widely used in the recovery period of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the active substances and mechanism of DZSM against CCH. Integrative metabolomic and proteomic studies were performed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of DZSM based on CCH model rats. The exposed components of DZSM in target brain tissue were analysed by a high-sensitivity HPLC-MS/MS method, and the exposed components were tested on a glutamate-induced neuronal excitatory damage cell model for the verification of active ingredients and mechanism of DZSM. Upon proteomic and metabolomic analysis, we observed a significant response in DZSM therapy from the interconnected neurotransmitter transport pathways including glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Additionally, DZSM had a significant regulatory effect on glutamate and GABA-related proteins including vGluT1 and vIAAT, suggested that DZSM could be involved in the vesicle transport of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the pre-synaptic membrane. DZSM could also regulated the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA), phospholipids, lysophospholipids and the expression of phospholipase A2 in post-synaptic membrane. The results of glutamate-induced neuronal excitatory injury cell model experiment for verification of active ingredients and mechanism of DZSM showed that there are five active ingredients, and among them, 4,5 caffeoylquinic acid (4,5-CQA) and scutellarin (SG) could simultaneously affect the GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic metabolism as well as the related receptors, the NR2b subunit of NMDA and the α1 subunit of GABAA. The active ingredients of DZSM could regulate the over-expression of the NMDA receptor, enhance the expression of the GABAA receptor, resist glutamate-induced neuronal excitatory damage, and finally maintain the balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic metabolism dominated by glutamate and GABA. Furtherly, we compared the efficacy of DZSM, 4,5-CQA, SG and the synergistic effect of 4,5-CQA and SG, and the results showed that all the groups significantly improved cell viability compared with the model group (p < 0.001). The western blot results showed that DZSM, 4,5-CQA, SG and 4,5-CQA/SG co-administration groups could significantly regulate the expression of receptors (GABAA α1 and NR2b subunit of NMDA) and synaptic-related proteins, such as Sv2a, Syp, Slc17a7, bin1 and Prkca, respectively. These results proved DZSM and its active ingredients (4,5-CQA and SG) had the effect of regulating glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Finally, membrane potential FLIPR assay of 4,5-CQA and SG was used for GABRA1 activity test, and it was found that the two compounds could increase GABA-induced activation of GABRA1 receptor (GABA 10 µM) in a dose-dependent manner with EC50 value of 48.74 µM and 29.77 µM, respectively. Manual patch clamp method was used to record NMDA NR1/NR2B subtype currents, and scutellarin could cause around 10% blockade at 10 μM (p<0.05 compared with the control group). These studies provided definitive clues of the mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of DZSM for CCH treatment and the active compounds regulating glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Additionally, 4,5-CQA and SG might be potential drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease related to CCH. PMID: 31926275 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Identification of key metabolites during cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury using an HPLC-TOF/MS-based non-targeted urine and kidney metabolomics approach in rats.

Sun, 12/01/2020 - 14:05
Related Articles Identification of key metabolites during cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury using an HPLC-TOF/MS-based non-targeted urine and kidney metabolomics approach in rats. Toxicology. 2020 Jan 08;:152366 Authors: Qu X, Gao H, Sun J, Tao L, Zhang Y, Zhai J, Song Y, Hu T, Li Z Abstract Kidney injury is a major adverse effect of cisplatin use. Metabolomics has been used to characterize physiological or pathological conditions through identification of metabolites and characterization of the metabolic pathway. Metabolomics profiling could allow for identification of nephrotoxic mechanisms of cisplatin and identification of biomarkers of cisplatin-induced injury. In this study, we performed metabolomics analysis to characterize key changes in metabolite levels during cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats, and screened for sensitive biomarkers for early diagnosis using HPLC-TOF/MS. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with 7.5 mg/kg or 15 mg/kg of cisplatin, or normal saline, and 12 h urine and kidney samples were collected after 72 h. Serum biochemical parameters and kidney histological evaluations showed dose-dependent AKI in response to cisplatin. Metabolomics analysis showed that 37 and 35 endogenous metabolite levels changed in rat urine and kidneys, respectively. Seven key metabolic pathways were disrupted, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. These pathways are involved in energy generation, and amino acid and lipid metabolism, and disruption of these pathways could contribute to oxidative stress injury, inflammation, and cell membrane damage. Furthermore, 11 sensitive metabolites in urine were screened as potential biomarkers of AKI. To validate these biomarkers, we quantified 4 off these biomarkers, and confirmed that levels of these metabolites were altered in urine of rats treated with CDDP. PMID: 31926187 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Anti-tumour immune response in GL261 glioblastoma generated by Temozolomide Immune-Enhancing Metronomic Schedule monitored with MRSI-based nosological images.

Sun, 12/01/2020 - 14:05
Related Articles Anti-tumour immune response in GL261 glioblastoma generated by Temozolomide Immune-Enhancing Metronomic Schedule monitored with MRSI-based nosological images. NMR Biomed. 2020 Jan 11;:e4229 Authors: Wu S, Calero-Pérez P, Villamañan L, Arias-Ramos N, Pumarola M, Ortega-Martorell S, Julià-Sapé M, Arús C, Candiota AP Abstract Glioblastomas (GB) are brain tumours with poor prognosis even after aggressive therapy. Improvements in both therapeutic and follow-up strategies are urgently needed. In previous work we described an oscillatory pattern of response to Temozolomide (TMZ) using a standard administration protocol, detected through MRSI-based machine learning approaches. In the present work, we have introduced the Immune-Enhancing Metronomic Schedule (IMS) with an every 6-d TMZ administration at 60 mg/kg and investigated the consistence of such oscillatory behaviour. A total of n = 17 GL261 GB tumour-bearing C57BL/6j mice were studied with MRI/MRSI every 2 d, and the oscillatory behaviour (6.2 ± 1.5 d period from the TMZ administration day) was confirmed during response. Furthermore, IMS-TMZ produced significant improvement in mice survival (22.5 ± 3.0 d for controls vs 135.8 ± 78.2 for TMZ-treated), outperforming standard TMZ treatment. Histopathological correlation was investigated in selected tumour samples (n = 6) analyzing control and responding fields. Significant differences were found for CD3+ cells (lymphocytes, 3.3 ± 2.5 vs 4.8 ± 2.9, respectively) and Iba-1 immunostained area (microglia/macrophages, 16.8% ± 9.7% and 21.9% ± 11.4%, respectively). Unexpectedly, during IMS-TMZ treatment, tumours from some mice (n = 6) fully regressed and remained undetectable without further treatment for 1 mo. These animals were considered "cured" and a GL261 re-challenge experiment performed, with no tumour reappearance in five out of six cases. Heterogeneous therapy response outcomes were detected in tumour-bearing mice, and a selected group was investigated (n = 3 non-responders, n = 6 relapsing tumours, n = 3 controls). PD-L1 content was found ca. 3-fold increased in the relapsing group when comparing with control and non-responding groups, suggesting that increased lymphocyte inhibition could be associated to IMS-TMZ failure. Overall, data suggest that host immune response has a relevant role in therapy response/escape in GL261 tumours under IMS-TMZ therapy. This is associated to changes in the metabolomics pattern, oscillating every 6 d, in agreement with immune cycle length, which is being sampled by MRSI-derived nosological images. PMID: 31926117 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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