LC-MS based metabolomics reveals metabolic pathway disturbance in retinal pigment epithelial cells exposed to hydroxychloroquine

Urine metabolomics for assessing fertility-sparing treatment efficacy in endometrial cancer: a non-invasive approach using ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to reveal the urine metabolic change of endometrial cancer (EC) patients during fertility-sparing treatment and establish non-invasive predictive models to identify patients with complete remission (CR).

METHOD

This study enrolled 20 EC patients prior to treatment (PT) and 22 patients with CR, aged 25-40 years. Eligibility criteria consisted of stage IA high-grade EC, lesions confined to endometrium, normal hepatic and renal function, normal urine test, no contraindication for fertility-sparing treatment and no prior therapy. Urine samples were analyzed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), a technique chosen for its high sensitivity and resolution, allows for rapid, accurate identification and quantification of metabolites, providing a comprehensive metabolic profile and facilitating the discovery of potential biomarkers. Analytical techniques were employed to determine distinct metabolites and altered metabolic pathways. The statistical analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate analyses, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to discover and validate the potential biomarker models.

RESULTS

A total of 108 different urine metabolomes were identified between CR and PT groups. These metabolites were enriched in ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, one carbon pool by folate, and some amino acid metabolisms pathways. A panel consisting of Baicalin, 5beta-1,3,7 (11)-Eudesmatrien-8-one, Indolylacryloylglycine, Edulitine, and Physapubenolide were selected as biomarkers, which demonstrated the best predictive ability with the AUC values of 0.982/0.851 in training/10-fold-cross-validation group, achieving a sensitivity of 0.975 and specificity of 0.967, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The urine metabolic analysis revealed the metabolic changes in EC patients during the fertility-sparing treatment. The predictive biomarkers present great potential diagnostic value in fertility-sparing treatments for EC patients, offering a less invasive means of monitoring treatment efficacy. Further research should explore the mechanistic underpinnings of these metabolic changes and validate the biomarker panel in larger, diverse populations due to the small sample size and single-institution nature of our study.

Uncontrolled Oxygen Levels in Cultures of Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Have We Missed the Obvious?

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is the outermost layer of retina located between the photoreceptor cells and the choroid. This highly-polarized monolayer provides critical support for the functioning of the other parts of the retina, especially photoreceptors. Methods of culturing RPE have been under development since its establishment in 1920s. Despite considering various factors, oxygen (O₂) levels in RPE microenvironments during culture preparation and experimental procedure have been overlooked. O₂ is a crucial parameter in the cultures, and therefore, maintaining RPE cells at O₂ levels different from their native environment (70-90 mm Hg of O₂) could have unintended consequences. Owing to the importance of the topic, lack of sufficient discussion in the literature and to encourage future research, this paper will focus on uncontrolled O₂ level in cultures of RPE cells.

Moringa oleifera polysaccharides regulates caecal microbiota and small intestinal metabolic profile in C57BL/6 mice

This study investigated the effects of Moringa oleifera polysaccharides (MOP) on the serum indexes, small intestinal morphology, small intestinal metabolic profile, and caecal microbiota of mice. A new type of polysaccharides with 104,031 Da molecular weight and triple helix structure was isolated from M. oleifera leaves for in vivo experiment. Forty male SPF C57BL/6 mice aged 4 weeks were average divided into four groups randomly according to the MOP gavaged daily (0, 20, 40 and 60 mg/kg body weight MOP). After a 7-day preliminary trial period and a 28-day official trial period, the mice were slaughtered. Results showed that MOP reduced glucose, total cholesterol, and malondialdehyde. It also improved superoxide dismutase and catalase in serum (P < 0.05). For small intestinal morphology, MOP improved the villi length and crypt depth in both ileum and jejunum (P < 0.05); the ratio of villi length to crypt depth in jejunum increased (P < 0.05). MOP could cause the increase of beneficial bacteria and the decrease of harmful bacteria in caecum, further affecting the function of microbiota. In addition, MOP regulated 114 metabolites enriched in the pathway related to the synthesis and metabolism of micromolecules. In sum, MOP exerted positive effects on the serum indexes and intestinal health of mice.