Comparisons of metabolic and physiological changes in rats following short term oral dosing with pesticides commonly found in food

Abstract

Contact CEH NORA team at noraceh@ceh.ac.ukThe NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. male Fischer F344 rats in order to assess the metabolic changes induced by oral exposure to two benzimidazole fungicides (carbendazim and thiabendazole) and two bipyridyllium herbicides (chlormequat and mepiquat). Exposure levels were selected to be lower than those expected to cause overt signs of toxicity. We then compared the sensitivity of the metabolomics approach to more traditional methods of toxicity assessment such as the measurement of growth and organ weights. Separate, acute exposure experiments were conducted for each pesticide to identify potential metabolic markers of exposure across four doses (and a control). Growth, organ weights and feeding/drinking rates were not significantly affected by any compounds at any dose levels tested. In contrast, metabolic responses were detected within 8 and 24 hours for chlormequat and mepiquat, and after 24 hours for carbendazim and thiabendazole. These results demonstrate the potential for the use of metabolomics in food toxicity testing.

Assessing the Influence of Roasting Process Parameters on Mepiquat and Chlormequat Formation in Dark Barley Malts

“…Their ill-effects in humans and animals have been widely reported and studied (Jones et al 2013;Nisse et al 2015;Xiagedeer et al 2016); hence, the permissible CHLM and MPQ content level in a unit of mass of a barley is 3 and 4 mg/kg, respectively (EFSA 2008;Jones et al 2013). Some researchers suggest that CHLM introduced into a human body even below this level would affect human reproductive systems (Torner et al 1999).…”

Advances in NMR-Based Metabolomics

“…Drug development includes the assessment of toxicity, and thus NMR-based metabolomics studies have often been focused on drug safety and the effect of drugs on basic metabolism (137)(138)(139). For example, a recent study used NMR to demonstrate that metabolic responses were a sensitive measure of food toxicity (143). Using a combination of baseline metabolic profiles and histopathological examinations post-dose of commonly used drugs such as acetaminophen, efforts have been made to understand the extent of liver damage; such studies can form a basis for more personalized treatment (142).…”

Metabolomics Provide Sensitive Insights into the Impacts of Low Level Environmental Contamination on Fish Health—A Pilot Study

“…Metabolomics approaches provide a sensitive assessment of animal physiology and can offer new insights into an organism's biochemistry to complement traditional biomarkers of health in ecotoxicological studies [1][2][3]. Metabolomics approaches have been widely used in mammalian ecotoxicology [4,5], and to assess fish health, for example, identifying indicators of immune suppression [6], sexual maturity [7], and nutritional status [8]. Changes in metabolite profiles have also been used in some laboratory-based fish exposures [9][10][11] and to investigate the effects of pollution on field-collected marine fish (e.g., [12][13][14]).…”