NMR metabolic profiling combined with two-step principal component analysis for toxin-induced diabetes model rat using urine

Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolic profiling (NMR-MP) was applied to evaluate disorder model animals using urine. Diabetic nephropathy was established in this experiment by administering streptozotocin to Wistar rats, which immediately developed diabetes after toxin-treatment and then gradually produced albumin-containing urine (albuminuria). Urine samples were collected for the first 4 weeks after toxin treatment. Predominant urinary sugar signals were seen in (1)H-NMR spectra of diabetes rat urine, and spectra were processed and subjected to multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified 3 outliers among 20 individuals. Outlier rats did not develop urinary sugar and were later found to be rats insufficient to establish diabetes models. A second PCA was performed excluding the additional glucose-signal region (3.2-6.3 ppm), as glucose signals had a predominant effect that may mask details of other metabolic profiles. Consequently another outlier was revealed. This exceptional rat did not develop albuminuria even after producing glucosuria for 14 weeks. NMR metabolic profiling provides good guidance to evaluate biophysical conditions of animals, enabling detection of abnormalities in the early stage of toxicological experiments.     

Effects and metabolic pathway of 4-dimethylaminophenol during kidney perfusion

1. Isolated rat kidneys were perfused (single pass) with 4 to 40μM soln. of 4-dimethylamino[¹⁴C]phenol (DMAP).

2. Nephrotoxicity was not detected at concn. of ¹⁴C-DMAP up to 18μM; higher conc. resulted in irreversible loss of physiological functions with simultaneous five-fold increase in covalently bound ¹⁴C.

3. At all concn., 85% of the post-renal ¹⁴C was due to unchanged DMAP, while 15% corresponded to DMAP conjugates. These conjugates were identified as DMAP-glucuronide (90% total), DMAP-sulphate and DMAP-thioethers.

4. All DMAP conjugates were conc. in the urine with urine/perfusate concn. ratios in the range 5–7 for the glucuronide, 50–100 for the sulphate, and 10–20 for the thioethers.

5. Rates of formation of metabolites vs DMAP concn. followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for DMAP-sulphate (K_m 25μM, V_max2.2nmol/min per g) and DMAP-thioethers (K_m range 10–100μM, V_max 4nmol/min per g). DMAP-glucuronide formation rate increased linearly with DMAP concn. and showed a four-fold increase at toxic DMAP doses.

6. From the data for DMAP conjugation capacity, urine/perfusate concn. ratios of DMAP conjugates and microautoradiography, it is suggested that DMAP conjugation is located mainly in the proximal convoluted tubule, where deterioration of renal functions originates.     

An analysis of clinical toxicology urine specimens using the KDI Quik test

The KDI Quik test is a rapid qualitative method for detecting narcotics, cocaine, PCP, and amphetamines in urine. The accuracy of this test was evaluated by testing 106 clinical toxicology urine specimens. Three investigators independently reviewed the test results and compared them to results of standard toxicological analyses. Of 83 samples found positive by the reference technique, only 70 were correctly identified as positive on the Quik test; only nine of 23 truly negative controls were correctly identified as negative by the Quik test. The overall sensitivity of the test was 84.7% while the specificity was 39.1%. As inaccuracies of this degree could result in frequent clinical error, use of the Quik test is not recommended.     

Primary culture of proximal tubular cells from normal rat kidney as an in vitro model to study mechanisms of nephrotoxicity. Toxicity of nephrotoxicants at low concentrations during prolonged exposure

The aim of this study was to set up an in vitro system to study nephrotoxicity of xenobiotics which allows exposure at low concentrations for long periods (1-5 days). A very pure preparation of isolated proximal tubular cells (PTC) from rat kidney (Boogaard et al., Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 101: 135-143, 1989) was brought into primary culture. Cells grew to confluence in 3 days and could be maintained up to 8 days in a modification of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium Ham F12 nutrient mixture supplemented with fetal calf serum. Fibroblast growth was completely suppressed by replacement of L-valine by D-valine and of L-arginine by L-ornithine. Polarity was retained: in cells grown on filters organic anions were transported at the basolateral membrane while D-glucose transport was located at the apical membrane. Inhibition of the latter was used to assess the functional integrity of the cells after exposure to nephrotoxins. The newly grown cells expressed gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity since incubation with the glutathione-conjugate of 1,1-dichloro-2,2-difluoroethylene (DCDFE) induced cytotoxicity. Both beta-lyase and acylase activities were expressed because the cysteine-S-conjugate and the corresponding mercapturate of DCDFE showed cytotoxicity. Cultured cells showed toxicity on prolonged exposure to very low concentrations of gentamicin, cephaloridine, cisplatin and the cysteine-S-conjugate of chlorotrifluoroethylene. The lowest concentrations at which toxicity can be observed are 1-3 orders of magnitude lower in primary cultures than in freshly isolated PTC in suspension. This indicates that this cell model is suitable to investigate mechanisms of nephrotoxicity in vitro, at prolonged exposure to the low concentrations that are relevant in vivo levels.     

Aristolochic acid induced changes in the metabolic profile of rat urine

Prolonged exposure to aristolochic acid (AA) has shown to pose rapid progressive renal fibrosis in Belgium women in a slimming regimen in the early 90s. We hypothesize that changes in metabolic profile could have occurred before symptoms were observed, which may allow early treatment. In this study, metabonomics was used for toxicology study of AA in rats. Liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Qq-TOF) was used for the analysis of endogenous metabolites in rat urine samples. The difference in metabolic profiles between the control and the dosed rats was well observed by the principal component analysis (PCA) of the MS data. Significant changes of two metabolite markers, kynurenic acid and hippuric acid, were detected in the rat urine samples. The identification of potential biomarkers was performed by high-resolution mass measurement and MS-MS analyses on a Qq-TOF. We believe that metabolic profiling may act as a preclinical protocol for AA exposure before symptoms are observed.     

Distribution of Pt in the urine and kidney of the cisplatin treated rat

The urinary and renal distribution of Pt following the administration of cis-dichlorodiammine platinum II (cisplatin) to adult male Wistar rats was studied by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Several low molecular weight (LMW) Pt-containing fractions with the same chromatographic properties as those found in urine incubated with cisplatin are present in the kidney cytosol within 15 min of the administration of cisplatin. The concentration of Pt in these fractions decreases rapidly and after 4 h most of the Pt in the kidney cytosol is in a high molecular weight (HMW) fraction which contains 2 subfractions. The smaller fraction (mol. wt. = 20 000), but not the larger (mol. wt greater than 250 000), is also present in the urine of the cisplatin-treated rat, but neither fraction is present in urine incubated with cisplatin and neither is formed by the interaction of cisplatin or the urinary LMW Pt-containing fractions with kidney cytosol in vitro. It is suggested that the smaller fraction may be derived from the filtration and reabsorption of plasma protein-bound Pt, whereas the larger fraction is more likely to be formed exclusively within the kidney cell.     

Use of the uricase-inhibited rat as an animal model in toxicology.

An accessible, reproducible, and inexpensive animal model for toxicologic evaluation of hyperuricemic conditions has been required for some time. A number of authors have tried to develop such a model by administering high doses of uric acid to various animal species (dog, rabbit, rat) but the potent liver uricase in these species prevented development of sustained hyperuricemia. Johnson et al. [4], Stavric et al. [5], and a number of other investigators [72, 75] successfully used potassium oxonate [63] to block the effect of hepatic uricase and to produce hyperuricemia in rats [4, 5, 68, 69, 72, 74, 76, 80], rabbits [66], mongrel dogs [67], mice [65], and pigs [64]. The oxonate-treated rat can serve as a useful animal model not only in investigation of the uric acid nephropathy, but also in a number of other toxicologic evaluations connected with uric acid. This model has been used to evaluate drugs that affect uric acid excretion, to determine which dietary factors affect serum urates, or to evaluate possible therapeutic agents in certain disorders associated with uric acid. The same model could also be used by behavioral scientists, for whom research on uric acid has become increasingly popular in recent years [33, 137]. The ideal uricase inhibitor for induction of hyperuricemia would be one which is irreversible, noncompetitive, and relatively nontoxic, so that its activity would be independent of high levels of uric acid, and effective inhibition could be attained at low dosage levels. Oxonic acid is not an ideal uricase inhibitor, because it is competitive and is eliminated from the body relatively rapidly. Although relatively nontoxic, oxonic acid and its salts are foreign substances that could interfere with some other metabolic systems. The possibility exists that an ideal, or at least a better inhibitor, could be developed by appropriate substitutions on the molecule of oxonic acid or by introducing different types of compounds such as derivatives of diazohypoxanthines, barbiturates, or similar substances. Until such improvements on the uricase-inhibited rat models are available, potassium oxonate, which is easily obtainable, can be used as an effective inhibitor of uricase in vivo.     

Optimisation of collection,storage and preparation of rat plasma for 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis in toxicology studies to determine inherent variation in biochemical profiles

Biofluid 1H NMR spectroscopy has been assessed as a tool for toxicological investigations for almost two decades, with most studies focussing on urinary changes. This study has examined variations in the 1H NMR spectroscopy spectra of plasma collected from control rats at different times of the day. The collection, preparation and storage of samples were optimised and potential sources of variation in samples taken for toxicology studies identified. Plasma samples were collected into heparinised containers and analysed following a standard dilution with D(2)O. The value of deproteinising plasma with acetonitrile to look at low molecular weight metabolites has also been assessed. Variations in lactate and citrate levels in whole blood plasma were found and are consistent with the observation that lactate is one of the most variable metabolites in human plasma. Lipids levels also varied, in particular higher levels of lipids were found in spectra from male rats compared to female rats, and in samples collected in the morning following the feeding period. No significant changes were identified in samples which were snap-frozen and stored for up to 9 months at -80 degrees C. More changes were observed after storage at 4 degrees C or room temperature, including an increase in glycerol and choline levels, which may have resulted from lipid hydrolysis.     

Orthotopic transplantation of neonatal GFP rat ovary as experimental model to study ovarian development and toxicology

The rat is one of the most commonly used experimental animal species in biomedical research. The availability of new research tools in rats could therefore provide considerable advances in the areas where this mammal is extensively used. We report the development of a new green fluorescent protein (GFP) rat strain suitable for organ transplantation and the birth of GFP rats following orthotopic transplantation of neonatal ovaries from this newly developed GFP rat strain to a wild-type Fischer 344 (F344) strain. A new GFP rat strain was developed by backcrossing eGFP Sprague–Dawley (SD-Tg(CAG-EGFP)Cz-004Osb) to wild-type F344 for eight generations. Whole ovaries from postnatal day (PND) 8 or PND 21 GFP rats were transplanted orthotopically to bilaterally ovariectomized wild-type adult females (n = 6). All recipients were mated, and three of the five resulting litters contained GFP pups. In the PND 8 group, all recipients cycled regularly and the ovarian morphology appeared normal when collected at 9 months post-transplantation. In the PND 21 group, 60% of the recipients displayed regular estrous cycles at 9 months post-transplantation, but showed reduced ovarian size. This new strain and neonatal orthotopic transplantation could be useful for many biomedical fields including transplantation, development, and reproductive toxicology.     

Geometric trajectory analysis of metabolic responses to toxicity can define treatment specific profiles

Metabonomics can be viewed as the process of defining multivariate metabolic trajectories that describe the systemic response of organisms to physiological perturbations through time. We have explored the hypothesis that the homothetic geometry of a metabolic trajectory, i.e., the metabolic response irrespective of baseline values and overall magnitude, defines the mode of response of the organism to treatment and is hence the key property when considering the similarity between two sets of measurements. A modeling strategy to test for homothetic geometry, called scaled-to-maximum, aligned, and reduced trajectories (SMART) analysis, is presented that together with principal components analysis (PCA) facilitates the visualization of multivariate response similarity and hence the interpretation of metabonomic data. Several examples of the utility of this approach from toxicological studies are presented as follows: interlaboratory variation in hydrazine response, CCl(4) dose-response relationships, and interspecies comparison of bromobenzene toxicity. In each case, the homothetic trajectories hypothesis is shown to be an important concept for the successful multivariate modeling and interpretation of systemic metabolic change. Overall, geometric trajectory analysis based on a homothetic modeling strategy like SMART facilitates the amalgamation and comparison of metabonomic data sets and can improve the accuracy and precision of classification models based on metabolic profile data. Because interlaboratory variation, normal physiological variation, dose-response relationships, and interspecies differences are also key areas of concern in genomic and proteomic as well as metabonomic studies, the methods presented here may also have an impact on many other multilaboratory efforts to produce screenable "-omics" databases useful for gauging toxicity in safety assessment and drug discovery.     

Influences of methamphetamine-induced acute intoxication on urinary and plasma metabolic profiles in the rat

Methamphetamine (MA) is an illicit psychostimulant, and its abuse has become an international public health problem. MA intoxication can cause life-threatening hyperthermia, renal and liver failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and neurological damage. To investigate the relationship between the underlying mechanism of such intoxication and metabolic networks, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics experiments were performed on Sprague-Dawley rats treated with MA at 10mgkg(-1)h(-1) for 4h. Using a combination of gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis-tandem mass spectrometry, global and targeted analyses were performed on biological samples collected during 0-24 and 72-96h (for urine), and at 24 and 96h (for plasma) after the last drug administration. Body temperature and plasma biochemical parameters were also measured to detect abnormal reactions in neuronal and other several tissues. 5-Oxoproline, saccharic acid, uracil, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), adipic acid, glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, such as fumarate, were proposed as potential biomarkers related to MA-induced intoxications. In particular, the observation of decreased TCA cycle intermediates and 3-HB and increased glucose suggested that high doses of MA inhibit biogenic energy production by glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation via the TCA cycle, and the beta-oxidation of fatty acids. These results may provide not only a clue to clarify the underlying mechanism of diverse intoxication effects, but also biological fluid-based diagnostic and forensic methods with which to objectively demonstrate intoxication without directly determining the drug.     

Elucidation of the metabolic pathway of S-equol in rat,monkey and man

S-equol is a selective estrogen receptor β (ERβ) agonist which is produced in certain individuals after ingestion of its precursor daidzein, an isoflavone present in soy. S-equol is thought to provide certain health benefits, including reduced menopausal symptoms. The metabolic profile of S-equol was determined in vivo in Sprague–Dawley rats and cynomolgus monkeys, and in vitro using hepatocytes from rat, monkey, and human. High resolution MS fragmentation patterns indicated that the major metabolite of S-equol in rat plasma and urine was the 4′-glucuronide conjugate, with lesser amounts of unconjugated S-equol, the 7-sulfate conjugate, and the 4′-glucuronide-7-sulfate diconjugate. Monkeys also showed extensive metabolism, with the major species in plasma being the 4′-glucuronide and the 7-sulfate-4′-glucuronide diconjugate; urine contained primarily the 4′-glucuronide, as seen in the rat. In vitro metabolism by hepatocytes was extensive and similar in all species, with fragmentation patterns also indicating that the 4′-glucuronide was the major metabolite. No oxidative metabolites of [¹⁴C] S-equol were detected in either in vivo or in vitro studies. These findings show that glucuronidation is the primary pathway for the metabolism of S-equol in rat, monkey and man, and that all metabolic routes of S-equol observed in vitro were also observed in vivo.     

Orthotopic transplantation of neonatal GFP rat ovary as experimental model to study ovarian development and toxicology

The rat is one of the most commonly used experimental animal species in biomedical research. The availability of new research tools in rats could therefore provide considerable advances in the areas where this mammal is extensively used. We report the development of a new green fluorescent protein (GFP) rat strain suitable for organ transplantation and the birth of GFP rats following orthotopic transplantation of neonatal ovaries from this newly developed GFP rat strain to a wild-type Fischer 344 (F344) strain. A new GFP rat strain was developed by backcrossing eGFP Sprague-Dawley (SD-Tg(CAG-EGFP)Cz-004Osb) to wild-type F344 for eight generations. Whole ovaries from postnatal day (PND) 8 or PND 21 GFP rats were transplanted orthotopically to bilaterally ovariectomized wild-type adult females (n=6). All recipients were mated, and three of the five resulting litters contained GFP pups. In the PND 8 group, all recipients cycled regularly and the ovarian morphology appeared normal when collected at 9 months post-transplantation. In the PND 21 group, 60% of the recipients displayed regular estrous cycles at 9 months post-transplantation, but showed reduced ovarian size. This new strain and neonatal orthotopic transplantation could be useful for many biomedical fields including transplantation, development, and reproductive toxicology.     

N-debenzylation of pyrilamine and tripelennamine in the rat. A new metabolic pathway

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received 20 mg/kg of pyrilamine or tripelennamine intraperitoneally. The extract obtained from an enzymatically hydrolyzed urine was derivatized with or without Tri-Sil Z and analyzed by GC/MS. 2-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)aminopyridine, 2-(4-hydroxybenzyl)aminopyridine, 2-[4-hydroxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, 2-[4-hydroxybenzyl-(2-methylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, 2-[4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, and 2-[3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine were detected as metabolites of pyrilamine. 2-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)aminopyridine, 2-(alpha-hydroxybenzyl)aminopyridine, 2-[alpha-hydroxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, 2-[4-hydroxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, 2-[4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine, and 2-[3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino]pyridine were detected as metabolites of tripelennamine. Thus, N-debenzylation of tripelennamine and N-demethoxybenzylation of pyrilamine occurs in vivo, through an intermediate of alpha-carbon oxidation and represents a new metabolic pathway for these compounds. The identity of the metabolite was confirmed by comparison with an authentic sample of 2-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)aminopyridine. The pharmacological implication of 2-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)aminopyridine, one of the metabolites of pyrilamine and tripelennamine, is discussed.     

A sulphite oxidase-deficient rat model: reproductive toxicology of sulphite in the female

The reproductive toxicology of sulphite was investigated in female rats with induced deficiencies of sulphite oxidase. Induction of sulphite oxidase deficiency was accomplished by administration of a diet with a high tungsten to molybdenum ratio. This animal model was chosen because it enables exposure of tissues to high systemic sulphite concentrations without debilitating side effects. The reproductive performance of female sulphite oxidase-deficient rats, exposed continuously to sulphite from about 3 wk before mating until the experiment was terminated on day 20 of gestation, was compared to that of unexposed rats with normal sulphite oxidase activity. There was no treatment-related trend in any of the parameters observed, including mating and pregnancy rates, gestational weight gain, pre-implantation loss, resorbed and dead foetuses, litter size, foetal weight and malformations. Of the spectrum of malformations observed in control and treated animals, only anophthalmia may have been treatment related. From these experiments, performed in an animal model that is a conservative metabolic analogue for man, we have concluded that there is no evidence to indicate that exposure of females to sulphite poses a significant reproductive hazard.     

1H NMR pattern recognition and 31P NMR studies with d-Serine in rat urine and kidney, time- and dose-related metabolic effects

Proton NMR spectroscopy of urine has previously been used to gain insight into the site and mechanism of toxic injury to the kidney. d-Serine injures the rat kidney, causing selective necrosis of the proximal straight tubules. Damage is accompanied by proteinuria, glucosuria, and amino aciduria, the latter preceding the onset of necrosis. This study has employed (1)H NMR spectroscopy of urine and (1)H NMR and (31)P NMR spectroscopy of kidney extracts to examine the nephrotoxic action of d-serine. Urine was collected 0-8 h (all doses) and 8-24, 24-48, 48-72, 72-96, and 96-120 h (500 mg/kg only) postdosing from Alderley Park rats given d-serine (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg ip). (1)H NMR spectra were monitored for markers of tubular damage. Additionally, ATP and ADP were quantitated in kidney perchloric acid extracts, prepared after 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 h (500 mg/kg) to assess energy status; serine was also measured in these samples. At 500 mg/kg, glucosuria, amino aciduria, and reduced citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and succinate were observed in urine at 0-8 h. Furthermore, serine and pyruvate levels were elevated at this time. After 8-24 h, similar changes were observed; however, they were more severe reflecting the development of the lesion prior to recovery. These perturbations were dose-related, in particular, for serine and pyruvate, with no alterations seen at 62.5 mg/kg. Kidney serine concentration rapidly increased, where it was maximal after 30 min and cleared by 8 h. A decline in ATP, to approximately 60-70% of control, was observed within the kidney at 2-4 h postdosing, when necrosis first becomes evident suggesting that mitochondrial function might be impaired in the early stages of d-serine-induced nephrotoxicity. The use of NMR spectroscopy has given a comprehensive overview of the effects of d-serine in vivo. Information on the excretion of serine and its effect on renal energy metabolism provides insight into the possible mechanism of renal tubule injury.