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Grobler T, Opperman M, Bester J, Swanepoel AC, du Preez I. Metabolomic Profiling of Hormonal Contraceptive Use in Young Females Using a Commercially Available LC-MS/MS Kit. Metabolites 2023; 13:1092. [PMID: 37887417 PMCID: PMC10609319 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13101092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral hormonal contraceptive users carry the risk of venous thrombosis and increased mortality. This study aimed to comprehensively profile the serum metabolome of participants using a combination of drospirenone (DRSP) and ethinyl estradiol (EE) containing oral contraceptives (COCs). The MxP Quant 500 kit for liquid chromatography mass tandem spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to analyse the 22 controls and 44 COC users (22 on a low EE dose (DRSP/20EE) and 22 on a higher EE dose (DRSP/30EE)). The kit's results were compared to our internally developed untargeted and targeted metabolomics methods previously applied to this cohort. Of the 630 metabolites included in the method, 277 provided desirable results (consistently detected above their detection limits), and of these, 5 had p-values < 0.05, including betaine, glutamine, cortisol, glycine, and choline. Notably, these variations were observed between the control and COC groups, rather than among the two COC groups. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis revealed 49 compounds with VIP values ≥ 1, including amino acids and their derivatives, ceramides, phosphatidylcholines, and triglycerides, among others. Ten differential compounds were consistent with our previous studies, reinforcing the notion of COCs inducing a prothrombotic state and increased oxidative stress. Although only a limited number of compounds were deemed usable, these were quantified with high reliability and facilitated the identification of meaningful biological differences among the sample groups. In addition to substantiating known drug-induced variations, new hypotheses were also generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Grobler
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Monique Opperman
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Janette Bester
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Albe Carina Swanepoel
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Ilse du Preez
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
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Fulghum KL, Smith JB, Chariker J, Garrett LF, Brittian KR, Lorkiewicz P, McNally LA, Uchida S, Jones SP, Hill BG, Collins HE. Metabolic Signatures of Pregnancy-Induced Cardiac Growth. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 323:H146-H164. [PMID: 35622533 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00105.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to develop an atlas of the metabolic, transcriptional, and proteomic changes that occur with pregnancy in the maternal heart. Timed pregnancy studies in FVB/NJ mice revealed significant increases in heart size by day 8 of pregnancy (mid-pregnancy; MP), which was sustained throughout the rest of the term compared with non-pregnant controls. Cardiac hypertrophy and myocyte cross-sectional area were highest 7 d after birth (post-birth; PB) and were associated with significant increases in end-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes and cardiac output. Metabolomics analyses revealed that, by day 16 of pregnancy (late pregnancy; LP), metabolites associated with nitric oxide production as well as acylcholines, sphingomyelins, and fatty acid species were elevated, which coincided with a lower activation state of phosphofructokinase and higher levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4). In the postpartum period, urea cycle metabolites, polyamines, and phospholipid levels were markedly elevated in the maternal heart. Cardiac transcriptomics in LP revealed significant increases in not only Pdk4, but also genes that regulate glutamate and ketone body oxidation, which were preceded in MP by higher expression of transcripts controlling cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Proteomics analysis of the maternal heart in LP and PB revealed significant reductions in several contractile filaments and mitochondrial complex subunits. Collectively, these findings describe the coordinated molecular changes that occur in the maternal heart during and after pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle L Fulghum
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Juliette B Smith
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Julia Chariker
- KY INBRE Genomics Core, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Lauren F Garrett
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Kenneth R Brittian
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Pawel Lorkiewicz
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Lindsey A McNally
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Shizuka Uchida
- Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Steven P Jones
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Bradford G Hill
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Helen E Collins
- Diabetes and Obesity Center, Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
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Campesi I, Montella A, Sotgiu G, Dore S, Carru C, Zinellu A, Palermo M, Franconi F. Combined oral contraceptives modify the effect of smoking on inflammatory cellular indexes and endothelial function in healthy subjects. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 891:173762. [PMID: 33253680 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Little information is available on the influence of sex in combination with smoking habits and combined oral contraceptives (COC) use on cellular inflammatory indexes such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NRL (dNLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), mean platelet volume/platelet count (MPV/PLT), aggregate inflammation systemic index (AISI), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), which are cost-effective biomarkers to assessing inflammation. Therefore, the effect of COC was studied alone or in association with smoking and compared with results from healthy COC-free women and men. Furthermore, the association of cellular inflammatory indexes with endothelial function (arginine (Arg), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde MDA) biomarkers was evaluated. Blood was collected for hematological and biochemical analysis, which were used to calculate PLR, NLR, dNLR, MLR, MPV/PLT, AISI, and SIRI. Serum samples were assayed for Arg, ADMA, SDMA, and MDA. Monocytes, MLR, SIRI, and MPV/PLT were higher in men, while PLT count was higher in women. COC use increased lymphocytes and lowered PLR and MLR. Smoking reduced sexually divergent parameters, especially in COC users: smoking and non-smoking COC-free women displayed six divergent parameters, while COC users displayed only two (monocytes and MPV). In addition, COC affected endothelial function, reducing ADMA and Arg. Moreover, COC-free women had lower Arg levels than men. In conclusion, COC use strongly influence the effects of tobacco smoking, which are sex and parameter specific. Further, these data stress that COC use and smoking attitude select different cohorts indicating that sex and gender studies need intersectionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Campesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy; Laboratorio Nazionale di Farmacologia e Medicina di Genere, Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture Biosistemi, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
| | - Andrea Montella
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy; Unità Operativa di Genetica e Biologia Dello Sviluppo, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Sotgiu
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Simone Dore
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Ciriaco Carru
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Angelo Zinellu
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Mario Palermo
- Unità Operativa di Endocrinologia, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Flavia Franconi
- Laboratorio Nazionale di Farmacologia e Medicina di Genere, Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture Biosistemi, 07100, Sassari, Italy
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Franconi F, Campesi I, Colombo D, Antonini P. Sex-Gender Variable: Methodological Recommendations for Increasing Scientific Value of Clinical Studies. Cells 2019; 8:E476. [PMID: 31109006 PMCID: PMC6562815 DOI: 10.3390/cells8050476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a clear sex-gender gap in the prevention and occurrence of diseases, and in the outcomes and treatments, which is relevant to women in the majority of cases. Attitudes concerning the enrollment of women in randomized clinical trials have changed over recent years. Despite this change, a gap still exists. This gap is linked to biological factors (sex) and psycho-social, cultural, and environmental factors (gender). These multidimensional, entangled, and interactive factors may influence the pharmacological response. Despite the fact that regulatory authorities recognize the importance of sex and gender, there is a paucity of research focusing on the racial/ethnic, socio-economic, psycho-social, and environmental factors that perpetuate disparities. Research and clinical practice must incorporate all of these factors to arrive at an intersectional and system-scenario perspective. We advocate for scientifically rigorous evaluations of the interplay between sex and gender as key factors in performing clinical trials, which are more adherent to real-life. This review proposes a set of 12 rules to improve clinical research for integrating sex-gender into clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Franconi
- Laboratory of Sex-gender Medicine, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Campesi
- Laboratory of Sex-gender Medicine, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
| | - Delia Colombo
- Value and Access Head, Novartis Italia, 21040 Origgio, Italy.
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