A high-throughput targeted metabolomics method for the quantification of 104 non-polar metabolites in cholesterol, eicosanoid, and phospholipid metabolism: application in the study of a CCl4-induced liver injury mouse model

Maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure, cord blood lipidomics and infant anthropometry: A mediation analysis

Maternal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with offspring adiposity; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we quantified 11 PFAS in maternal plasma collected between 12 and 16 gestational weeks and 104 lipid metabolites in the cord blood of 525 mother-infant pairs. Principal components of multiple PFAS compounds, extracted by principal component analysis, were employed to investigate the effect of the PFAS mixture. Infant anthropometric indicators included weight, length, waist/arm circumference, and abdominal/triceps/subscapular skinfold thickness at birth and 6 and 12 months old. Multiple linear regression showed that maternal PFAS exposure was primarily associated with increased glycerophospholipids and decreased fatty acyls and bile acids in cord blood. Four glycerophospholipids (16:0 PI, 16:0-18:1 PI, 18:0-20:4 PI, and 18:0-18:1 PS), fatty acyls (5(S)-HETE, 15(S)-HETE, 13-HDoHE, and dhkPGF2), and bile acids (GCA, TCA, TCDA, and TDCA) partially mediated the positive associations of the first principle component of PFAS compounds (with positive loadings for all PFAS compounds), PFNA, and PFUdA with infant skinfold thickness with mediating proportions ranging from 15.24% to 33.39%. Our findings provide novel insights into mechanisms underlying the effects of maternal PFAS exposure on infant growth.

Multi-omics and experimental analysis unveil the key components in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi to alleviate hepatic fibrosis via regulating cPLA2-mediated arachidonic acid metabolism

BACKGROUND

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, a traditional Chinese herb, is known for its various biological effects, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antitumor properties. However, the function and mechanisms of methanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (MESB) in treating hepatic fibrosis remain unclear.

METHODS

This study utilized a CCl4-induced mouse model of hepatic fibrosis to assess the effects of MESB through histopathological analysis and serum tests. The anti-fibrosis mechanism of MESB was investigated using qPCR, Western blotting, RNA interference, proteomics, and metabolomics. Spatial metabolomics identified key components of MESB in liver tissue, while molecular docking determined their targets.

RESULTS

Treatment with MESB alleviated hepatic pathological changes and reversed hepatic fibrosis in the CCl4-induced models, as evidenced by decreased collagen fibers deposition, reduced expression of hepatic fibrosis markers COL1A1, FN, and PAI-1, and lowered serum levels of AST and ALT. In vitro, MESB inhibited the proliferation of LX-2 cells and the expression of hepatic fibrosis markers. Furthermore, MESB intervention modulated various pathways, particularly those involved in metabolic pathways. Subsequent metabolomics analysis demonstrated that MESB disrupted glycerophospholipid metabolism and suppressed arachidonic acid metabolism. MESB downregulated the expression of cPLA2 in LX-2 cells, leading to decreased production of arachidonic acid and its downstream inflammatory mediators. Meanwhile, MESB inhibited the expression of cPLA2 and its downstream NF-κB pathway in the liver tissues of models induced by CCl4. Additionally, silencing cPLA2 markedly reduced the expressions of COL1A1, FN, and PAI-1. Spatial metabolomics analysis confirmed the penetration of baicalein, wogonin and wogonoside into liver tissue. Further results indicated that baicalein and wogonin inhibited the expression of cPLA2, while baicalin and wogonoside do not exhibit this effect. Moreover, molecular docking suggested that baicalein and wogonin possess the potential to directly interact with cPLA2.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that MESB is crucial in preventing hepatic fibrosis via the cPLA2-mediated arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, highlighting its key active components as potential drugs for fibrosis treatment.

Effect of Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Metabolites in H460 Lung Cancer Cells

Lung cancer is the most common primary malignant lung tumor. However, the etiology of lung cancer is still unclear. Fatty acids include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as essential components of lipids. SCFAs can enter the nucleus of cancer cells, inhibit histone deacetylase activity, and upregulate histone acetylation and crotonylation. Meanwhile, PUFAs can inhibit lung cancer cells. Moreover, they also play an essential role in inhibiting migration and invasion. However, the mechanisms and different effects of SCFAs and PUFAs on lung cancer remain unclear. Sodium acetate, butyrate, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were selected to treat H460 lung cancer cells. Through untargeted metabonomics, it was observed that the differential metabolites were concentrated in energy metabolites, phospholipids, and bile acids. Then, targeted metabonomics was conducted for these three target types. Three LC-MS/MS methods were established for 71 compounds, including energy metabolites, phospholipids, and bile acids. The subsequent methodology validation results were used to verify the validity of the method. The targeted metabonomics results show that, in H460 lung cancer cells incubated with linolenic acid and linoleic acid, while the content of PCs increased significantly, the content of Lyso PCs decreased significantly. This demonstrates that there are significant changes in LCAT content before and after administration. Through subsequent WB and RT-PCR experiments, the result was verified. We demonstrated a substantial metabolic disparity between the dosing and control groups, further verifying the reliability of the method.

LPCAT1 overexpression promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common malignant neoplasms. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT1) plays a key role in the lipid remodelling and is correlated with various neoplasms. Nonetheless, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of LPCAT1 underlying HCC remain obscure.

METHODS

In the present study, we investigated the role of LPCAT1 in the progression of HCC. In-house RT-qPCR, tissue microarrays, and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect the expression levels and the clinical value of LPCAT1 in HCC. External datasets were downloaded to confirm the results. Proliferation, migration, invasiveness, cell cycle, and apoptosis assays were conducted to reveal the biological effects LPCAT1 has on SMMC-7721 and Huh7 cells. HCC differentially expressed genes and LPCAT1 co-expressed genes were identified to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying HCC progression.

RESULTS

LPCAT1 showed upregulated expression in 3715 HCC specimens as opposed to 3105 non-tumour specimens. Additionally, LPCAT1 might be an independent prognostic factor for HCC. LPCAT1-knockout hampered cellular proliferation, migration, and metastasis in SMMC-7721 and Huh7 cells. More importantly, the cell cycle and chemical carcinogenesis were the two most enriched signalling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that increased LPCAT1 correlated with poor prognosis in HCC patients and fuelled HCC progression by promoting cellular growth, migration, and metastasis.

Simultaneous quantitative determination of arachidonic acid and cascade metabolites in rat serum by UPLC-MS/MS: application for longitudinal metabolomics of anlotinib

Arachidonic acid (AA) and cascade metabolites have been shown to be involved in cancer pathologic states. Anlotinib, a novel oral small molecule inhibitor of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases, has brought significant improvement to the survival of patients with advanced lung cancer. Here, a robust and reproducible ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed, optimized and validated for quantitating AA and cascade metabolites for the first time. Through careful optimization of the analytical conditions, a total of 69 analytes can be efficiently separated and quantitated in a single run of 17 min. A simple and labor-saving protein precipitation procedure was utilized for serum sample pretreatment. The validation parameters and quality control chart of all analytes satisfy the acceptance criteria of bioanalytical method guidelines. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.005 ng mL^-1 to 1 ng mL^-1, and the volume of serum was only 20 μL. This rapid and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to a longitudinal metabolomics study in rat serum after a single administration of anlotinib (6 mg kg^-1). Finally, a total of 41 metabolites can be calculated under the present conditions. Serum samples from the same rat were segregated into a tight cluster in both unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) at different sampling time points after anlotinib treatment. Moreover, the number of analytes whose variable importance (VIP) values were larger than 1.0 was 17. The present study not only offers a UPLC-MS/MS analytical reference for AA but also brings out insights for future mechanistic studies or biomarkers to predict the efficacy, toxicity and clinical outcomes in patients with cancer.