Multiple Univariate Data Analysis Reveals the Inulin Effects on the High-Fat-Diet Induced Metabolic Alterations in Rat Myocardium and Testicles in the Preobesity State

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and a well-known risk factor for many diseases affecting billions of people’s health and well-being. However, little information is available for metabolic changes associated with the effects of obesity development and interventions on cardiovascular and reproduction systems. Here, we systematically analyzed the effects of high-fat diet (HFD) and inulin intake on the metabolite compositions of myocardium and testicle using NMR spectroscopy. We developed a useful high-throughput method based on multiple univariate data analysis (MUDA) to visualize and efficiently extract information on metabolites significantly affected by an intervention. We found that HFD caused widespread metabolic changes in both rat myocardium and testicles involving fatty acid β-oxidation together with the metabolisms of choline, amino acids, purines and pyrimidines even before HFD caused significant body-weight increases. Inulin intake ameliorated some of the HFD-induced metabolic changes in both myocardium (3-HB, lactate and guanosine) and testicle tissues (3-HB, inosine and betaine). A remarkable elevation of <i>scyllo</i>-inositol was also observable with inulin intake in both tissues. These findings offered essential information for the inulin effects on the HFD-induced metabolic changes and demonstrated this MUDA method as a powerful alternative to traditionally used multivariate data analysis for metabonomics

Antagonist of Prostaglandin E₂ Receptor 4 Induces Metabolic Alterations in Liver of Mice

Prostaglandin E₂ receptor 4 (EP4) is one of the receptors for prostaglandin E₂ and plays important roles in various biological functions. EP4 antagonists have been used as anti-inflammatory drugs. To investigate the effects of an EP4 antagonist (L-161982) on the endogenous metabolism in a holistic manner, we employed a mouse model, and obtained metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of multiple biological matrixes, including serum, liver, and urine of mice with and without EP4 antagonist (L-161982) exposure. We found that this EP4 antagonist caused significant changes in fatty acid metabolism, choline metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. EP4 antagonist exposure also induced oxidative stress to mice. Our research is the first of its kind to report information on the alteration of metabolism associated with an EP4 antagonist. This information could further our understanding of current and new biological functions of EP4

Antagonist of Prostaglandin E₂ Receptor 4 Induces Metabolic Alterations in Liver of Mice

Prostaglandin E₂ receptor 4 (EP4) is one of the receptors for prostaglandin E₂ and plays important roles in various biological functions. EP4 antagonists have been used as anti-inflammatory drugs. To investigate the effects of an EP4 antagonist (L-161982) on the endogenous metabolism in a holistic manner, we employed a mouse model, and obtained metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of multiple biological matrixes, including serum, liver, and urine of mice with and without EP4 antagonist (L-161982) exposure. We found that this EP4 antagonist caused significant changes in fatty acid metabolism, choline metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. EP4 antagonist exposure also induced oxidative stress to mice. Our research is the first of its kind to report information on the alteration of metabolism associated with an EP4 antagonist. This information could further our understanding of current and new biological functions of EP4

Antagonist of Prostaglandin E₂ Receptor 4 Induces Metabolic Alterations in Liver of Mice

Prostaglandin E₂ receptor 4 (EP4) is one of the receptors for prostaglandin E₂ and plays important roles in various biological functions. EP4 antagonists have been used as anti-inflammatory drugs. To investigate the effects of an EP4 antagonist (L-161982) on the endogenous metabolism in a holistic manner, we employed a mouse model, and obtained metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of multiple biological matrixes, including serum, liver, and urine of mice with and without EP4 antagonist (L-161982) exposure. We found that this EP4 antagonist caused significant changes in fatty acid metabolism, choline metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. EP4 antagonist exposure also induced oxidative stress to mice. Our research is the first of its kind to report information on the alteration of metabolism associated with an EP4 antagonist. This information could further our understanding of current and new biological functions of EP4

Combined NMR and GC–MS Analyses Revealed Dynamic Metabolic Changes Associated with the Carrageenan-Induced Rat Pleurisy

Inflammation is closely associated with pathogenesis of various metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. To understand the systems responses to localized inflammation, we analyzed the dynamic metabolic changes in rat plasma and urine associated with the carrageenan-induced self-limiting pleurisy using NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate data analysis. Fatty acids in plasma were also analyzed using GC–FID/MS with the data from clinical chemistry and histopathology as complementary information. We found that in the acute phase of inflammation rats with pleurisy had significantly lower levels in serum albumin, fatty acids, and lipoproteins but higher globulin level and larger quantity of pleural exudate than controls. The carrageenan-induced inflammation was accompanied by significant metabolic alterations involving TCA cycle, glycolysis, biosyntheses of acute phase proteins, and metabolisms of amino acids, fatty acids, ketone bodies, and choline in acute phase. The resolution process of pleurisy was heterogeneous, and two subgroups were observed for the inflammatory rats at day-6 post treatment with different metabolic features together with the quantity of pleural exudate and weights of thymus and spleen. The metabolic differences between these subgroups were reflected in the levels of albumin and acute-phase proteins, the degree of returning to normality for multiple metabolic pathways including glycolysis, TCA cycle, gut microbiota functions, and metabolisms of lipids, choline and vitamin B₃. These findings provided some essential details for the dynamic metabolic changes associated with the carrageenan-induced self-limiting inflammation and demonstrated the combined NMR and GC–FID/MS analysis as a powerful approach for understanding biochemical aspects of inflammation

Streptozotocin-Induced Dynamic Metabonomic Changes in Rat Biofluids

Diabetes mellitus is a complex polygenic disease caused by gene-environment interactions with multiple complications, and metabonomic analysis is crucial for pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and timely interventions. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the dynamic metabolic changes in rat urine and plasma, which were induced by the well-known diabetogenic chemical streptozotocin (STZ), using ¹H NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate data analysis. The results showed that a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ with a moderate dosage (55 mg/kg) induced significant urinary metabonomic changes within 24 h. These changes showed time-dependence and heterogeneity among the treated animals with an animal recovered within 11 days. STZ-induced metabonomic alterations were related to suppression of glycolysis and TCA cycle, promotion of gluconeogenesis and oxidation of amino acids, alterations in metabolisms of basic amino acids associated with diabetic complications, and disruption of lipid metabolism and gut microbiota functions. With diffusion-edited NMR spectral data, we further observed the STZ-induced significant elevation of monounsaturated fatty acids and total unsaturated fatty acids together with reductions in PUFA-to-MUFA ratio in the blood plasma. These findings provided details of the time-dependent metabonomic changes in the progressive development of the STZ-induced diabetes mellitus and showed the possibility of detecting the biochemical changes in the early stage of type 1 diabetic genesis

High-Fat Diet Induces Dynamic Metabolic Alterations in Multiple Biological Matrices of Rats

Obesity is a condition resulting from the interactions of individual biology and environmental factors causing multiple complications. To understand the system’s metabolic changes associated with the obesity development and progression, we systematically analyzed the dynamic metabonomic changes induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in multiple biological matrices of rats using NMR and GC-FID/MS techniques. Clinical chemistry and histopathological data were obtained as complementary information. We found that HFD intakes caused systematic metabolic changes in blood plasma, liver, and urine samples involving multiple metabolic pathways including glycolysis, TCA cycle, and gut microbiota functions together with the metabolisms of fatty acids, amino acids, choline, B-vitamins, purines, and pyrimidines. The HFD-induced metabolic variations were detectable in rat urine a week after HFD intake and showed clear dependence on the intake duration. B-vitamins and gut microbiota played important roles in the obesity development and progression together with changes in TCA cycle intermediates (citrate, α-ketoglutarate, succinate, and fumarate). 83-day HFD intakes caused significant metabolic alterations in rat liver highlighted with the enhancements in lipogenesis, lipid accumulation and lipid oxidation, suppression of glycolysis, up-regulation of gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis together with altered metabolisms of choline, amino acids and nucleotides. HFD intakes reduced the PUFA-to-MUFA ratio in both plasma and liver, indicating the HFD-induced oxidative stress. These findings provided essential biochemistry information about the dynamic metabolic responses to the development and progression of HFD-induced obesity. This study also demonstrated the combined metabonomic analysis of multiple biological matrices as a powerful approach for understanding the molecular basis of pathogenesis and disease progression