Profiling Food and Cellular Toxicity Through the Use and Development of Metabolomics: A Study

ABSTRACT

Research into metabolomics is expanding rapidly. Increases in both technological capability and knowledge about how the environment affects metabolism have contributed to its expansion. The study and characterization of metabolism in both humans and plants has thus become increasingly commonplace, prompting widespread use of metabolomics. This thesis begins with a brief introduction to metabolomics and a summary of the procedures for preparing samples, collecting data, and analysing the results. The second part of the thesis provides a detailed account of the methods used to isolate and analyse metabolites from mammalian cells, in this case brain tissue with an emphasis on Parkinsons disease. Experiment design, sample collection, and data analysis are only few of the topics this chapter covers. Methods for using metabolomics to assess environmental effects on the metabolome are discussed in chapters 3 and 4. The neuronal reaction to the xenobiotic arsenic is the subject of Chapter 3. It reveals that astrocytes boost glutathione production by increasing citric acid cycle and glycolytic activities. Both citrate and lactate, two related metabolites, were found to be reduced in concentration in the presence of arsenic. These metabolites show how metabolomic processes are interconnected and are crucial to ATP synthesis. In Chapter 4, we see how evaluating the influence of environmental circumstances on wines can be done with the help of metabolite profiles. The metabolite profiles of Pinot Noir were studied between different locales on the Pacific coast, all of which used the same scion clone (Pinot noir 667). The samples chemical profiles were determined with the help of nuclear magnetic resonance and a differential sensing array. We found that the varying metabolite profiles in the wines were a direct effect of the conditions under which they were produced. This thesis is to shine a light on the use of metabolomic in diverse biological research to assess the effect of environmental stimuli.

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