Identification of a novel plasma metabolite panel as diagnostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma

Alterations in Ileal Microbiota and Fecal Metabolite Profiles of Chickens with Immunity to Eimeria mitis

Coccidiosis, caused by different species of Eimeria parasites, is an economically important disease in poultry and livestock worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the ileal microbiota and fecal metabolites in chickens after repeated infections with low-dose E. mitis. The chickens developed solid immunity against a high dose of E. mitis infection after repeated infections with low-dose E. mitis. The composition of the ileal microbiota and the metabonomics of the Eimeria-immunized group and the control group were detected using 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The relative abundance of Neisseria, Erysipelotrichaceae, Incertae sedis, Coprobacter, Capnocytophaga, Bifidobacterium, and the Ruminococcus torques group declined in the Eimeria-immunized chickens, whereas Alloprevotella, Staphylococcus, Haemophilus, and Streptococcus increased. Furthermore, 286 differential metabolites (including N-undecylbenzenesulfonic acid, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, gluconic acid, isoleucylproline, proline, and 1-kestose) and 19 significantly altered metabolic pathways (including galactose metabolism, ABC transporters, starch and sucrose metabolism, the ErbB signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling pathway) were identified between the Eimeria-immunized group and the control group. These discoveries will help us learn more about the composition and dynamics of the gut microbiota as well as the metabolic changes in chickens infected with Eimeria spp.

Causal Effect of Immunocytes, Plasma Metabolites, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study and Mediation Analysis in East Asian Populations

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant liver tumor characterized by a low survival rate and high mortality. This study aimed to investigate the causal effect of immune cell phenotypes, plasma metabolites, and HCC in East Asian populations. Methods: The summary results for 731 immunocytes, 1400 plasma metabolites, and HCCs were acquired from publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWASs). This study utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to establish causal relationships, which was achieved by employing various statistical methods including inverse variance-weighted, simple mode, MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to confirm the reliability of the MR data. Ultimately, mediation analysis was employed to ascertain the path that leads from immunocytes to plasma metabolites. Results: Among the 20 immune cells and HCC for East Asians, causal links were found, with one showing an inverse correlation. In addition, 36 metabolites were significantly associated with HCC for East Asians. Through analysis of established causative metabolites, we identified a strong correlation between the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway and HCC for East Asians. By employing a two-step MR analysis, we identified 11 immunocytes that are causally linked to HCC for East Asians through the mediation of 14 plasma metabolites, with Linolenate [α or γ; (18:3n3 or 6)] levels showing the highest mediation proportion (19.3%). Conclusions: Our findings affirm the causal links among immunocytes, plasma metabolites, and HCC in eastern Asia populations by calculating the percentage of the impact that is influenced by plasma metabolites. This study offers innovative perspectives on the early detection, diagnosis, and therapy of HCC.

Revealing Medicinal Constituents of Bistorta vivipara Based on Non-Targeted Metabolomics and 16S rDNA Gene Sequencing Technology

Bistorta vivipara is a medicinal plant with a long history, but there are few studies on the effects of its medicinal components and endophytic bacteria on the accumulation of secondary metabolites. Therefore, in this study, non-targeted metabolomics techniques and 16s rDNA techniques were used to study B. vivipara from different regions. A total of 1290 metabolites and 437 differential metabolites were identified from all samples. Among them, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and benzopyrans are the main medicinal components of B. vivipara; these have potential anticancer, antiviral, and antioxidant properties, as well as potential applications for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. In addition, irigenin, an important medicinal component, was identified for the first time. The endophytic bacterial communities in the root tissues of B. vivipara from different regions were also different in composition and richness. Hierarchical clustering heat map analysis showed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota bacteria significantly affected the accumulation of many medicinal components in the roots of B. vivipara.

Metabolomic biomarkers in liquid biopsy: accurate cancer diagnosis and prognosis monitoring

Liquid biopsy, a novel detection method, has recently become an active research area in clinical cancer owing to its unique advantages. Studies on circulating free DNA, circulating tumor cells, and exosomes obtained by liquid biopsy have shown great advances and they have entered clinical practice as new cancer biomarkers. The metabolism of the body is dynamic as cancer originates and progresses. Metabolic abnormalities caused by cancer can be detected in the blood, sputum, urine, and other biological fluids via systemic or local circulation. A considerable number of recent studies have focused on the roles of metabolic molecules in cancer. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of metabolic markers from various biological fluids in the latest clinical studies, which may contribute to cancer screening and diagnosis, differentiation of cancer typing, grading and staging, and prediction of therapeutic response and prognosis.

Simultaneous Detection of Aldehyde Metabolites by Light-Assisted Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry

In the clinic, small-molecule metabolites (SMMs) in blood are highly convincing indicators for disease diagnosis, such as cancer. However, challenges still exist for detection of SMMs due to their low concentration and complicated components in blood. In this work, we report the design of a novel "selenium signature" nanoprobe (Se nanoprobe) for efficient identification of multiple aldehyde metabolites in blood. This Se nanoprobe consists of magnetic nanoparticles that can enrich aldehyde metabolites from a complex environment, functionalized with photosensitive "selenium signature" hydrazide molecules that can react with aldehyde metabolites. Upon irradiation with UV, the aldehyde derivatives can be released from the Se nanoprobe and further sprayed by mass spectrometry through ambient ionization (AIMS). By quantifying the selenium isotope distribution (MS/MS) from the derivatization product, accurate detection of several aldehyde metabolites, including valeraldehyde (Val), heptaldehyde (Hep), 2-furaldehyde (2-Fur), 10-undecenal aldehyde (10-Und), and benzaldehyde (Ben), is realized. This strategy reveals a new solution for quick and accurate cancer diagnosis in the clinic.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic profile changes in the liver of Sprague Dawley rat offspring after maternal PFOS exposure during gestation and lactation

Epidemiological and experimental research has indicated an association between perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure and liver disease. However, the potential hepatotoxic effects and mechanisms of low-level prenatal PFOS exposure in offspring remain ambiguous. The objective of this research was to examine the alterations in liver transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in offspring rats at postnatal day (PND) 30 following gestational and lactational exposure to PFOS (from gestational day 1 to 20 and PND 1 to 21). Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into a control group (3% starch gel solution, oral gavage) and a PFOS exposure group (0.03 mg/kg body weight per day, oral gavage). Histopathological changes in liver sections were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Biochemical analysis was conducted to evaluate changes in glucose and lipid metabolism. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were utilized to identify significant genes and metabolites associated with alterations of liver glucose and lipid metabolism through an integrated multi-omics analysis. No significant differences were found in the measured biochemical parameters. In total, 167 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to processes such as steroid biosynthesis, PPAR signaling pathway, and fat digestion and absorption were identified in offspring rats in the PFOS exposure group. Ninety-five altered metabolites were exhibited in the PFOS exposure group, such as heptaethylene glycol, lysoPE (0:0/18:0), lucidenic acid K, and p-Cresol sulfate. DEGs associated with steroid biosynthesis, PPAR signaling pathway, fat digestion and absorption were significantly upregulated in the PFOS exposure group (P < 0.05). The analysis of correlations indicated that there was a significant inverse correlation between all identified differential metabolites and the levels of fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides in the PFOS exposure group (P < 0.05). Our findings demystify that early-life PFOS exposure can lead to alterations in transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in the offspring's liver, which provided mechanistic insights into the potential hepatotoxicity and developmental toxicity associated with environmentally relevant levels of PFOS exposure.

Phytochemical profile and anti-inflammatory activity of the hull of γ-irradiated wheat mutant lines (Triticum aestivum L.)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn.; Poaceae) is the second most cultivated food crop among all global cereal crop production. The high carbohydrate content of its grains provides energy, multiple nutrients, and dietary fiber. After threshing, a substantial amount of wheat hull is produced, which serves as the non-food component of wheat. For the valorization of these by-products as a new resource from which functional components can be extracted, the hull from the seeds of cultivated wheat mutant lines bred after γ-irradiation were collected. Untargeted metabolite analysis of the hull of the original cultivar (a crossbreeding cultivar., Woori-mil × D-7) and its 983 mutant lines were conducted using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technique. A total of 55 molecules were tentatively identified, including 21 compounds found in the Triticum species for the first time and 13 compounds not previously described. Among them, seven flavonolignans with a diastereomeric structure, isolated as a single compound from the hull of T. aestivum in our previous study, were used as the standards in the metabolite analysis. The differences in their collision cross-section values were shown to contribute to the clear distinction between tricine-lignan stereoisomers. To select functionally active agents with anti-inflammatory activity among the identified compounds, the wheat hull samples were evaluated for their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. As a result of multivariate analysis based on the results of chemical and biological profiles of the wheat hull samples, 10 metabolites were identified as key markers, contributing to the distinction between active and inactive mutant lines. Considering that one of the four key markers attributed to anti-inflammatory activity has been identified to be a flavonolignan, the wheat hull could be a valuable source of diverse tricin-lignan type compounds and used as a natural health-promoting product in food supplements.

The Role of Mass Spectrometry in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Biomarker Discovery

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main liver malignancy and has a high mortality rate. The discovery of novel biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and stratification purposes has the potential to alleviate its disease burden. Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the principal technologies used in metabolomics, with different experimental methods and machine types for different phases of the biomarker discovery process. Here, we review why MS applications are useful for liver cancer, explain the MS technique, and briefly summarise recent findings from metabolomic MS studies on HCC. We also discuss the current challenges and the direction for future research.