Metabolomics: Methodologies and applications in the environmental sciences

Abstract

Environmental metabolomics is an emerging approach for examining metabolic fingerprints, or profiles, in biological systems exposed to environmental stress. In conjunction with other "omics" techniques, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, it has been used to study the biochemical impacts of xenobiotics and disease. The approach analyzes changes in the concentrations of metabolites, which are the precursors and products of enzymatic activity, and then attempts to associate these changes with biological function and/or regulation. Environmental scientists have recently applied such techniques to suggest biomarkers for the risk assessment of chemicals and for diagnosing diseases in wild animals. Furthermore, this approach can in principle allow scientists to better understand the underlying mechanisms of action of toxic compounds in the environment. In this review the methodologies used in metabolomics are briefly discussed along with several examples from the environmental sciences, including biomarker development and risk assessment of toxicant exposure, metabolic responses to environmental stressors, and disease diagnosis and monitoring.

Benzo(a)pyrene-induced metabolic responses in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) based metabolomics

“…Moreover, PAHs can induce numerous enzymes involved in activation and detoxification of PAHs via the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), and PAHs can affect the expression of multiple other genes by way of both AHR-dependent and AHR-independent mechanisms (Uno et al, 2001;Puga et al, 1992;Hankinson, 1995;Ryu et al, 1996). However, metabolomics can provide an overview on the toxicological effects of PAHs in organisms by characterizing the metabolic responses (biomarkers) without detailed knowledge of the complex biotransformation of PAHs (Lin et al, 2006;Stentiford et al, 2005). After PCA analysis, the PC score plot (PC1 vs. PC2) showed clear separations along PC1 axis between the control and high concentration of BaP-dosed group (0.2 M) after 24 h of exposure ( Fig.…”

Effects of hypoxia in the gills of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum using NMR-based metabolomics

“…Metabolomics allows a systematic view of the metabolic shift triggered by environmental changes, by measuring levels of endogenous low-molecular-weight metabolites (Wang et al, 2003;Plumb et al, 2003). It facilitates assessment of the metabolic status of cells, tissues, organs, and whole organisms (Lin et al, 2006;Stentiford et al, 2005). In the present study, NMR spectroscopy was performed to profile the metabolic alterations in the gills of R. philippinarum that occur in response to hypoxia.…”

Metabolic responses in gills of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum exposed to copper using NMR-based metabolomics

“…The metabolic profiling can provide an overview of the metabolic status of a biological system including cells, tissues, organs or even whole organisms (Lin et al, 2006;Stentiford et al, 2005).…”