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Metabolomic profiling of urinary changes in mice with monosodium glutamate-induced obesity

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Abstract

Obesity with related complications represents a widespread health problem. The etiopathogenesis of obesity is often studied using numerous rodent models. The mouse model of monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity was exploited as a model of obesity combined with insulin resistance. The aim of this work was to characterize the metabolic status of MSG mice by NMR-based metabolomics in combination with relevant biochemical and hormonal parameters. NMR analysis of urine at 2, 6, and 9 months revealed altered metabolism of nicotinamide and polyamines, attenuated excretion of major urinary proteins, increased levels of phenylacetylglycine and allantoin, and decreased concentrations of methylamine in urine of MSG-treated mice. Altered levels of creatine, citrate, succinate, and acetate were observed at 2 months of age and approached the values of control mice with aging. The development of obesity and insulin resistance in 6-month-old MSG mice was also accompanied by decreased mRNA expressions of adiponectin, lipogenetic and lipolytic enzymes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in fat while mRNA expressions of lipogenetic enzymes in the liver were enhanced. At the age of 9 months, biochemical parameters of MSG mice were normalized to the values of the controls. This fact pointed to a limited predictive value of biochemical data up to age of 6 months as NMR metabolomics confirmed altered urine metabolic composition even at 9 months.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to H. Vysušilová for her excellent technical assistance.

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Correspondence to Marek Kuzma.

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Funding

The research was financially supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Grant No. GA13-14105S), grant for long-term conceptual development of the Institute of Microbiology (RVO: 61388971) and Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (RVO: 61388963). The project was conducted within the “Prague Infrastructure for Structure Biology and Metabolomics” which has been built up by financial support of the Operational Program Prague – Competitiveness (Project No.: CZ.2.16/3.1.00/24023). The data analyses were partially supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague No. SGS13/203/OHK3/3T/13. We would also like to acknowledge project LO1509 of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

Conflict of interest

Helena Pelantová, Simona Bártová, Jiří Anýž, Martina Holubová, Blanka Železná, Lenka Maletínská, Daniel Novák, Zdena Lacinová, Miroslav Šulc, Martin Haluzík, and Marek Kuzma declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.

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Pelantová, H., Bártová, S., Anýž, J. et al. Metabolomic profiling of urinary changes in mice with monosodium glutamate-induced obesity. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 567–578 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-9133-0

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