NMR-Based Metabolomics in Metal-Based Drug Research

Plasma metabolomics reveals the intervention mechanism of different types of exercise on chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression rat model

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of different types of exercise on the plasma metabolomics of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressed rats based on 1H-NMR metabolomics techniques, and to explore the potential mechanisms of exercise for the treatment of depression. Rats were randomly divided into blank control group (C), CUMS control group (D), pre-exercise with CUMS group (P), CUMS with aerobic exercise group, CUMS with resistance exercise group (R), and CUMS with aerobic + resistance exercise group (E). The corresponding protocol intervention was applied to each group of rats. Body weight, sucrose preference and open field tests were performed weekly during the experiment to evaluate the extent of depression in rats. Plasma samples from each group of rats were collected at the end of the experiment, and then the plasma was analyzed by 1H-NMR metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis methods to identify differential metabolites and perform metabolic pathway analysis. (1) Compared with the group D, the body weight, sucrose preference rate, and the number of crossings and standings in the different types of exercise groups were significantly improved (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). (2) Compared to group C, a total of 15 differential metabolites associated with depression were screened in the plasma of rats in group D, involving 6 metabolic pathways. Group P can regulate the levels of 6 metabolites: valine, lactate, inositol, glucose, phosphocreatine, acetoacetic acid. Group A can regulate the levels of 6 metabolites: N-acetylglycoprotein, leucine, lactate, low density lipoprotein, glucose and acetoacetic acid. Group R can regulate the levels of 6 metabolites: choline, lactate, inositol, glucose, phosphocreatine and acetoacetic acid. Group E can regulate the levels of 5 metabolites: choline, citric acid, glucose, acetone and acetoacetic acid. The different types of exercise groups can improve the depressive symptoms in CUMS rats, and there are common metabolites and metabolic pathways for their mechanism of effects. This study provides a powerful analytical tool to study the mechanism of the antidepressant effect of exercise, and provides an important method and basis for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of depression.

Investigating the antitumor effects of a novel ruthenium (II) complex on malignant melanoma cells: An NMR-based metabolomic approach

Metals have been used for many years in medicine, particularly for the treatment of cancer. Cisplatin is one of the most used drugs in the treatment of cancer. Although platinum-containing therapeutics have unparalleled efficacy in cancer treatment, they are coupled with adverse effects and the development of tumour resistance. This has led to the exploration of other metal-based modalities including ruthenium-based compounds. Thus, in our previous study, we synthesized and characterized a novel ruthenium (II) complex (referred to herein as GA113) containing a bis-amino-phosphine ligand. The complex was subsequently screened for its anti-cancerous potential against a human malignant melanoma A375 cell line and findings revealed favourable cytotoxicity. In the current study, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based cellular metabolomics approach was applied to probe the possible mechanism of GA113 in A375 cells. In addition, other biological assays including light microscopy, Hoechst-33258 and MitoTracker Orange CM-H2TMRos stain were used to assess cellular viability and apoptosis in GA113-treated cells. Consequently, multivariate statistical data analysis was applied to the metabolomic data to identify potential biomarkers. Six signatory metabolites were altered after treatment. Changes in these metabolites were linked to two metabolic pathways, which include the alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolic pathway as well as the glycine, serine, and threonine pathway. By means of an NMR-based metabolomic approach, we identified the potential mechanism of action of complex GA113 in A375 cancer cells thus providing new insights into the metabolic pathways affected by complex GA113 and establishing a foundation for further development, research, and eventual application in cancer.

Compatibility of Nucleobases Containing Pt(II) Complexes with Red Blood Cells for Possible Drug Delivery Applications

The therapeutic advantages of some platinum complexes as major anticancer chemotherapeutic agents and of nucleoside analogue-based compounds as essential antiviral/antitumor drugs are widely recognized. Red blood cells (RBCs) offer a potential new strategy for the targeted release of therapeutic agents due to their biocompatibility, which can protect loaded drugs from inactivation in the blood, thus improving biodistribution. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of loading model nucleobase-containing Pt(II) complexes into human RBCs that were highly stabilized by four N-donors and susceptible to further modification for possible antitumor/antiviral applications. Specifically, platinum-based nucleoside derivatives [PtII(dien)(N7-Guo)]2+, [PtII(dien)(N7-dGuo)]2+, and [PtII(dien)(N7-dGTP)] (dien = diethylenetriamine; Guo = guanosine; dGuo = 2'-deoxy-guanosine; dGTP = 5'-(2'-deoxy)-guanosine-triphosphate) were investigated. These Pt(II) complexes were demonstrated to be stable species suitable for incorporation into RBCs. This result opens avenues for the possible incorporation of other metalated nucleobases analogues, with potential antitumor and/or antiviral activity, into RBCs.

Metabolomic Profiling in Children with Celiac Disease: Beyond the Gluten-Free Diet

Celiac disease (CD) is included in the group of complex or multifactorial diseases, i.e., those caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Despite a growing understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease, diagnosis is still often delayed and there are no effective biomarkers for early diagnosis. The only current treatment, a gluten-free diet (GFD), can alleviate symptoms and restore intestinal villi, but its cellular effects remain poorly understood. To gain a comprehensive understanding of CD's progression, it is crucial to advance knowledge across various scientific disciplines and explore what transpires after disease onset. Metabolomics studies hold particular significance in unravelling the complexities of multifactorial and multisystemic disorders, where environmental factors play a significant role in disease manifestation and progression. By analyzing metabolites, we can gain insights into the reasons behind CD's occurrence, as well as better comprehend the impact of treatment initiation on patients. In this review, we present a collection of articles that showcase the latest breakthroughs in the field of metabolomics in pediatric CD, with the aim of trying to identify CD biomarkers for both early diagnosis and treatment monitoring. These advancements shed light on the potential of metabolomic analysis in enhancing our understanding of the disease and improving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. More studies need to be designed to cover metabolic profiles in subjects at risk of developing the disease, as well as those analyzing biomarkers for follow-up treatment with a GFD.

Application of vibrational spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance methods for drugs pharmacokinetics research

OBJECTIVES

The development of new methods for determining the concentration of drugs is an actual topic today. The article contains a detailed review on vibrational spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance methods using for pharmacokinetic research. This study is devoted to the possibility of using vibrational spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the concentration of drugs and the use of these groups of techniques for therapeutic drug monitoring.

CONTENT

The study was conducted by using scientific libraries (Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, Medline, GoogleScholar, eLIBRARY, PubMed) and reference literature. A search was conducted for the period from 2011 to 2021 in Russian and English, by combinations of words: 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), vibrational spectroscopy, Surface-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy, drug concentration, therapeutic drug monitoring. These methods have a number of advantages and are devoid of some of the disadvantages of classical therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) methods - high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. This review considers the possibility of using the methods of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and ¹H NMR-spectroscopy to assess the concentration of drugs in various biological media (blood, urine), as well as to study intracellular metabolism and the metabolism of ophthalmic drugs. ¹Н NMR-spectroscopy can be chosen as a TDM method, since it allows analyzing the structure and identifying metabolites of various drugs. ¹Н NMR-based metabolomics can provide information on the side effects of drugs, predict response to treatment, and provide key information on the mechanisms of action of known and new drug compounds.

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

SERS and ¹Н NMR-spectroscopy have great potential for further study and the possibility of introducing them into clinical practice, including for evaluating the efficacy and safety of drugs.

Focus on the molecular mechanisms of cisplatin resistance based on multi-omics approaches

Cisplatin is commonly used in combination with other cytotoxic agents as a standard treatment regimen for a variety of solid tumors, such as lung, ovarian, testicular, and head and neck cancers. However, the effectiveness of cisplatin is accompanied by toxic side effects, for instance, nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The response of tumors to cisplatin treatment involves multiple physiological processes, and the efficacy of chemotherapy is limited by the intrinsic and acquired resistance of tumor cells. Although enormous efforts have been made toward molecular mechanisms of cisplatin resistance, the development of omics provides new insights into the understanding of cisplatin resistance at genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome and epigenome levels. Mechanism studies using different omics approaches revealed the necessity of multi-omics applications, which provide information at different cellular function levels and expand our recognition of the peculiar genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of cancer. The present work systematically describes the underlying mechanisms of cisplatin resistance in different tumor types using multi-omics approaches. In addition to the classical mechanisms such as enhanced drug efflux, increased DNA damage repair and changes in the cell cycle and apoptotic pathways, other changes like increased protein damage clearance, increased protein glycosylation, enhanced glycolytic process, dysregulation of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, ferroptosis suppression and mRNA m6A methylation modification can also induce cisplatin resistance. Therefore, utilizing the integrated omics to identify key signaling pathways, target genes and biomarkers that regulate chemoresistance are essential for the development of new drugs or strategies to restore tumor sensitivity to cisplatin.

Electrochemistry as a Powerful Tool for Investigations of Antineoplastic Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Cancer is most frequently treated with antineoplastic agents (ANAs) that are hazardous to patients undergoing chemotherapy and the healthcare workers who handle ANAs in the course of their duties. All aspects related to hazardous oncological drugs illustrate that the monitoring of ANAs is essential to minimize the risks associated with these drugs. Among all analytical techniques used to test ANAs, electrochemistry holds an important position. This review, for the first time, comprehensively describes the progress done in electrochemistry of ANAs by means of a variety of bare or modified (bio)sensors over the last four decades (in the period of 1982-2021). Attention is paid not only to the development of electrochemical sensing protocols of ANAs in various biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical matrices but also to achievements of electrochemical techniques in the examination of the interactions of ANAs with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), carcinogenic cells, biomimetic membranes, peptides, and enzymes. Other aspects, including the enantiopurity studies, differentiation between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA without using any label or tag, studies on ANAs degradation, and their pharmacokinetics, by means of electrochemical techniques are also commented. Finally, concluding remarks that underline the existence of a significant niche for the basic electrochemical research that should be filled in the future are presented.

Metabolomics: A New Approach in the Evaluation of Effects in Human Beings and Wildlife Associated with Environmental Exposition to POPs

Human beings and wild organisms are exposed daily to a broad range of environmental stressors. Among them are the persistent organic pollutants that can trigger adverse effects on these organisms due to their toxicity properties. There is evidence that metabolomics can be used to identify biomarkers of effect by altering the profiles of endogenous metabolites in biological fluids or tissues. This approach is relatively new and has been used in vitro studies mainly. Therefore, this review addresses those that have used metabolomics as a key tool to identify metabolites associated with environmental exposure to POPs in wildlife and human populations and that can be used as biomarkers of effect. The published results suggest that the metabolic pathways that produce energy, fatty acids, and amino acids are commonly affected by POPs. Furthermore, these pathways can be promoters of additional effects. In the future, metabolomics combined with other omics will improve understanding of the origin, development, and progression of the effects caused by environmental exposure.

A NMR-Based Metabolomic Approach to Investigate the Antitumor Effects of the Novel [Pt(η 1-C2H4OMe)(DMSO)(phen)]+ (phen = 1,10-Phenanthroline) Compound on Neuroblastoma Cancer Cells

NMR-based metabolomics is a very effective tool to assess the tumor response to drugs by providing insights for their mode of action. Recently, a novel Pt(II) complex, [Pt(ƞ¹-C₂H₄OMe)(DMSO)(phen)]⁺ (phen =  1,10-phenanthroline), Pt-EtOMeSOphen, was synthesized and studied for its antitumor activity against eight human cancer cell lines. Pt-EtOMeSOphen showed higher cytotoxic effects than cisplatin in most of the cancer cell lines and in particular against the neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y). In this study, the mechanism of action of Pt-EtOMeSOphen on SH-SY5Y cells was investigated using ¹H NMR-based metabolomics and compared with cisplatin. The observed time response of SH-SY5Y cells under treatment revealed a faster action of Pt-EtOMeSOphen compared with cisplatin, with a response already observed after six hours of exposure, suggesting a cytosolic target. NMR-based metabolomics demonstrated a peculiar alteration of the glutathione metabolism pathway and the diacylglycerol expression.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis of omeprazole-enhanced chemosensitivity to cisplatin in mice with non-small cell lung cancer

Drug resistance of tumors remains a major barrier in cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy. Omeprazole (OME) is often utilized during chemotherapy to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms. In a previous investigation, we demonstrated a protective effect of OME against CDDP-induced kidney injury. To further establish whether OME could enhance chemosensitivity to CDDP and the underlying mechanisms, an in vivo tumor-bearing mouse model with CDDP-resistant A549 non-small cell lung cancer (A549/CDDP) was established in the current study. A high-performance liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-TOF/MS)-based untargeted metabolomics approach for tumor tissue and serum was employed to explore the mechanisms underlying the enhanced therapeutic effects of co-administration of CDDP and OME. Notably, tumor weights of mice in the CDDP + OME group were significantly decreased compared with those treated with CDDP alone. HE and TUNEL staining revealed more significant apoptosis of tumor cells in the group co-administered CDDP + OME relative to CDDP alone. Overexpression of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 in CDDP-resistant tumors was significantly reversed upon treatment with CDDP + OME. PCA score plots of the groups co-treated with CDDP + OME were clearly separated from those treated with CDDP alone in metabolomics analysis for tumor and serum samples, clearly suggesting that co-administration of OME enhances the antitumor effect of CDDP. Subsequently, 10 and 7 metabolites in CDDP + OME group with significant changes in tumor and serum compared with CDDP group, respectively, were identified. Pathway analysis both in tumor and serum samples revealed regulation of the metabolism of purines, several amino acids and riboflavin in enhanced chemotherapy with both OME and CDDP. The collective findings provide beneficial novel insights into drug-drug interactions, which could improve the application of CDDP in clinical practice.

Determination of Drugs in Clinical Trials: Current Status and Outlook

All pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, cosmetic products, and many medical breakthroughs must first be approved through clinical research and trials before advancing to standard practice or entering the marketplace. Clinical trials are sets of tests that are required to determine the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical compounds, drugs, and treatments. There is one pre-phase and four main clinical phase requirements that every drug must pass to obtain final approval. Analytical techniques play a unique role in clinical trials for measuring the concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in biological matrices and monitoring the conditions of patients (or volunteers) during various clinical phases. This review focuses on recent analytical methods that are employed to determine the concentrations of drugs and medications in biological matrices, including whole blood, plasma, urine, and breast milk. Four primary analytical techniques (extraction, spectroscopy, chromatography, and electrochemical) are discussed, and their advantages and limitations are assessed. Subsequent to a survey of evidence and results, it is clear that microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based electrochemical sensor and biosensor technologies exhibit several notable advantages over other analytical methods, and their future prospects are discussed.

Enhanced Bioactivity of Pomegranate Peel Extract following Controlled Release from CaCO3 Nanocrystals

Pomegranate peel extract is rich of interesting bioactive chemicals, principally phenolic compounds, which have shown antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidative properties. The aim of this work was to improve extract’ bioactivity through the adsorption on calcium carbonate nanocrystals. Nanocrystals revealed as efficient tools for extract adsorption reaching 50% of loading efficiency. Controlled release of the contained metabolites under acidic pH has been found, as it was confirmed by quantitative assay and qualitative study through NMR analysis. Specific functionality of inorganic nanocarriers could be also tuned by biopolymeric coating. The resulting coated nanoformulations showed a great antimicrobial activity against B. cinerea fungus preventing strawberries disease better than a commercial fungicide. Furthermore, nanoformulations demonstrated a good antiproliferative activity in neuroblastoma and breast cancer cells carrying out a higher cytotoxic effect respect to free extract, confirming a crucial role of nanocarriers. Finally, pomegranate peel extract showed a very high radical scavenging ability, equal to ascorbic acid. Antioxidant activity, measured also in intracellular environment, highlighted a protective action of extract-adsorbed nanocrystals twice than free extract, providing a possible application for new nutraceutical formulations.

Metabolic Impact of Anticancer Drugs Pd2Spermine and Cisplatin on the Brain of Healthy Mice

The new palladium agent Pd2Spermine (Spm) has been reported to exhibit promising cytotoxic properties, while potentially circumventing the known disadvantages associated to cisplatin therapeutics, namely acquired resistance and high toxicity. This work presents a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics study of brain extracts obtained from healthy mice, to assess the metabolic impacts of the new Pd2Spm complex in comparison to that of cisplatin. The proton NMR spectra of both polar and nonpolar brain extracts were analyzed by multivariate and univariate statistics, unveiling several metabolite variations during the time course of exposition to each drug (1–48 h). The distinct time-course dependence of such changes revealed useful information on the drug-induced dynamics of metabolic disturbances and recovery periods, namely regarding amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, and membrane precursors and phospholipids. Putative biochemical explanations were proposed, based on existing pharmacokinetics data and previously reported metabolic responses elicited by the same metal complexes in the liver of the same animals. Generally, results suggest a more effective response of brain metabolism towards the possible detrimental effects of Pd2Spm, with more rapid recovery back to metabolites’ control levels and, thus, indicating that the palladium drug may exert a more beneficial role than cDDP in relation to brain toxicity.

Comparative NMR metabolomics of the responses of A2780 human ovarian cancer cells to clinically established Pt-based drugs

Pt-based drugs play a very important role in current cancer treatments; yet, their cellular and mechanistic aspects are not fully understood. NMR metabolomics provides a powerful tool to investigate the...

1H HR-MAS NMR Based Metabolic Profiling of Lung Cancer Cells with Induced and De-Induced Cisplatin Resistance to Reveal Metabolic Resistance Adaptations

Cisplatin (cisPt) is an important drug that is used against various cancers, including advanced lung cancer. However, drug resistance is still a major ongoing problem and its investigation is of paramount interest. Here, a high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR study is presented deciphering the metabolic profile of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and metabolic adaptations at different levels of induced cisPt-resistance, as well as in their de-induced counterparts (cells cultivated in absence of cisPt). In total, fifty-three metabolites were identified and quantified in the ¹H-HR-MAS NMR cell spectra. Metabolic adaptations to cisPt-resistance were detected, which correlated with the degree of resistance. Importantly, de-induced cell lines demonstrated similar metabolic adaptations as the corresponding cisPt-resistant cell lines. Metabolites predominantly changed in cisPt resistant cells and their de-induced counterparts include glutathione and taurine. Characteristic metabolic patterns for cisPt resistance may become relevant as biomarkers in cancer medicine.

Current State of Metabolomics Research in Meat Quality Analysis and Authentication

In the past decades, as an emerging omic, metabolomics has been widely used in meat science research, showing promise in meat quality analysis and meat authentication. This review first provides a brief overview of the concept, analytical techniques, and analysis workflow of metabolomics. Additionally, the metabolomics research in quality analysis and authentication of meat is comprehensively described. Finally, the limitations, challenges, and future trends of metabolomics application in meat quality analysis and meat authentication are critically discussed. We hope to provide valuable insights for further research in meat quality.

Novel Insights into Mice Multi-Organ Metabolism upon Exposure to a Potential Anticancer Pd(II)-Agent

Pd(II)-compounds are presently regarded as promising anticancer drugs, as an alternative to Pt(II)-based drugs (e.g., cisplatin), which typically trigger severe side-effects and acquired resistance. Dinuclear Pd(II) complexes with biogenic polyamines such as spermine (Pd₂Spm) have exhibited particularly beneficial cytotoxic properties, hence unveiling the importance of understanding their impact on organism metabolism. The present study reports the first nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics study to assess the in vivo impact of Pd₂Spm on the metabolism of healthy mice, to identify metabolic markers with possible relation to biotoxicity/side-effects and their dynamics. The changes in the metabolic profiles of both aqueous and lipophilic extracts of mice kidney, liver, and breast tissues were evaluated, as a function of drug-exposure time, using cisplatin as a reference drug. A putative interpretation was advanced for the metabolic deviations specifically triggered by Pd₂Spm, this compound generally inducing faster metabolic response and recovery to control levels for all organs tested, compared to cisplatin (except for kidney lipid metabolism). These results constitute encouraging preliminary metabolic data suggestive of potential lower negative effects of Pd₂Spm administration.

NMR reveals the metabolic changes induced by auranofin in A2780 cancer cells: evidence for glutathione dysregulation

NMR metabolomics represents a powerful tool to characterize the cellular effects of drugs and gain detailed insight into their mode of action. Here, we have exploited NMR metabolomics to illustrate the changes in the metabolic profile of A2780 ovarian cancer cells elicited by auranofin (AF), a clinically approved gold drug now repurposed as an anticancer agent. An early and large increase in intracellular glutathione is highlighted as the main effect of the treatment accompanied by small but significant changes in the levels of a few additional metabolites; the general implications of these findings are discussed in the frame of the current mechanistic knowledge of AF.

Visible Light-Activated Water-Soluble Platicur Nanocolloids: Photocytotoxicity and Metabolomics Studies in Cancer Cells

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for cancer therapy offer a great promising opportunity as they specifically target cancer cells, also increasing the bioavailability of anticancer drugs characterized by low water solubility. Platicur, [Pt(cur) (NH₃)₂](NO₃), is a cis-diamine-platinum(II) complex linked to curcumin. In this work, an ultrasonication method, coupled with layer by layer technology, allows us to obtain highly aqueous stable Platicur nanocolloids of about 100 nm. The visible light-activated Platicur nanocolloids showed an increased drug release and antitumor activity on HeLa cells, with respect to Platicur nanocolloids in darkness. This occurrence could give very interesting insight into selective activation of the nanodelivered Pt(II) complex and possible side-effect lowering. For the first time, the metabolic effects of Platicur nanocolloid photoactivation, in the HeLa cell line, have been investigated using an NMR-based metabolomics approach coupled with statistical multivariate data analysis. The reported results highlight specific metabolic differences between photoactivated and non-photoactivated Platicur NC-treated HeLa cancer cells.

Metabolic Aspects of Palladium(II) Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs

This mini-review reports on the existing knowledge of the metabolic effects of palladium [Pd(II)] complexes with potential anticancer activity, on cell lines and murine models. Most studies have addressed mononuclear Pd(II) complexes, although increasing interest has been noted in bidentate complexes, as polynuclear structures. In addition, the majority of records have reported in vitro studies on cancer cell lines, some including the impact on healthy cells, as potentially informative in relation to side effects. Generally, these studies address metabolic effects related to the mechanisms of induced cell death and antioxidant defense, often involving the measurement of gene and protein expression patterns, and evaluation of the levels of reactive oxygen species or specific metabolites, such as ATP and glutathione, in relation to mitochondrial respiration and antioxidant mechanisms. An important tendency is noted toward the use of more untargeted approaches, such as the use of omic sciences e.g., proteomics and metabolomics. In the discussion section of this mini-review, the developments carried out so far are summarized and suggestions of possible future developments are advanced, aiming at recognizing that metabolites and metabolic pathways make up an important part of cell response and adaptation to therapeutic agents, their further study potentially contributing valuably for a more complete understanding of processes such as biotoxicity or development of drug resistance.

Metabolomics Comparison of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) Biofluids Using Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The aim of this study was to identify the metabolomic profiles of rumen fluid, serum, and urine from Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae), using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. In all, 189, 110, and 188 metabolites were identified in rumen fluid, serum, and urine, and 107, 49, and 99 were quantified, respectively. Organic acids, carbohydrates, and aliphatic acyclic compound metabolites were present at the highest concentrations in rumen fluid, serum, and urine, respectively. In addition, acetate, glucose, and urea were the most highly concentrated individual metabolites in rumen fluid, serum, and urine, respectively. In all, 77 metabolites were commonly identified, and 19 were quantified across three biofluids. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that the common quantified metabolites could provide relevant information about three main metabolic pathways, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; caffeine metabolism; and histidine metabolism. These results can be useful as reference values for future metabolomic research on Hanwoo biofluids in Korea.

Electro-acupuncture regulates glucose metabolism in chronic stress model rats

Studies have shown that acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic stress depression. However, little is known about the therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture. Metabolomics, on the other hand, is a technology that determines the metabolic changes of organisms caused by various interventions as a whole and is related to the overall effect of electro-acupuncture (EA). ¹HNMR, serum sample analysis, and histopathology and molecular biology analysis were used to evaluate the effects of EA. The results show that electro-acupuncture points can regulate the heat pain threshold of chronic stress model rats and change the morphology of adrenal cortex cells Structure, and regulate the contents of corticotropin-releasing hormone, Corticosterone (CORT), glucose, alanine and valine in the samples. These findings help to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture on heterologous chronic stress model rats. The effect of electro-acupuncture on improving chronic stress is likely to be achieved by regulating glucose metabolism, which can provide a reference for clinical acupuncture treatment of chronic stress depression.

Metabolomic tools used in marine natural product drug discovery

Introduction: The marine environment is a very promising resource for natural product research, with many of these reaching the market as new drugs, especially in the field of cancer therapy as well as the drug discovery pipeline for new antimicrobials. Exploitation for bioactive marine compounds with unique structures and novel bioactivity such as the isoquinoline alkaloid; trabectedin, the polyether macrolide; halichondrin B, and the peptide; dolastatin 10, requires the use of analytical techniques, which can generate unbiased, quantitative, and qualitative data to benefit the biodiscovery process. Metabolomics has shown to bridge this understanding and facilitate the development of new potential drugs from marine sources and particularly their microbial symbionts.Areas covered: In this review, articles on applied secondary metabolomics ranging from 1990-2018 as well as to the last quarter of 2019 were probed to investigate the impact of metabolomics on drug discovery for new antibiotics and cancer treatment.Expert opinion: The current literature review highlighted the effectiveness of metabolomics in the study of targeting biologically active secondary metabolites from marine sources for optimized discovery of potential new natural products to be made accessible to a R&D pipeline.

1H-NMR Based Serum Metabolomics Highlights Different Specific Biomarkers between Early and Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Stages

The application of non-targeted serum metabolomics profiling represents a noninvasive tool to identify new clinical biomarkers and to provide early diagnostic differentiation, and insight into the pathological mechanisms underlying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. In this study, we used proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H-NMR) Spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis to profile the serum metabolome of 64 HCC patients, in early (n = 28) and advanced (n = 36) disease stages. We found that ¹H-NMR metabolomics profiling could discriminate early from advanced HCC patients with a cross-validated accuracy close to 100%. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed significant changes in serum glucose, lactate, lipids and some amino acids, such as alanine, glutamine, 1-methylhistidine, lysine and valine levels between advanced and early HCC patients. Moreover, in early HCC patients, Kaplan-Meier analysis highlighted the serum tyrosine level as a predictor for overall survival (OS). Overall, our analysis identified a set of metabolites with possible clinical and biological implication in HCC pathophysiology.