Use of Metallomics and Metabolomics to Assess Metal Pollution in Doñana National Park (SW Spain)

Abstract

Monitoring organism exposure to heavy metals has acquired increased importance in the last decades. The mouse Mus spretus has been used to assess the biological response to contaminants in the relevant ecological area of Doñana National Park (DNP) and surrounding areas (SW Spain), where many migrating birds land for breeding and feeding every year. A metallomics approach, based on the characterization of metal biomolecules using size exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) and a metabolomics approach based on direct infusion to a mass spectrometer (DI-ESI-QTOF-MS) followed by a partial linear square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), were used to compare the biological responses of M. spretus living in three areas of DNP (the reference) and surrounding areas (El Partido and El Matochal). The activities of key antioxidant enzymes, such as Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, CAT, GR, and guaiacol peroxidase, were also determined in connection with environmental contamination issues. The results show differences caused by the presence of metals in the ecosystem that affected to the levels of metals and metalloproteins, such as MT, Cu/Zn-SOD, or Mn-CA, the breakdown of membrane phospholipids, perturbations in metabolic pathways, related to energy metabolism, and oxidative stress.

Untargeted metabolomics reveals transformation pathways and metabolic response of the earthworm Perionyx excavatus after exposure to triphenyl phosphate

“…The perturbations of phospholipid metabolism might result from maintenance of cell membrane integrity. Moreover, significant decrease of PC is accompanied by significant increase of lysophosphatidylcholine bearing the same fatty acid chain, possibly suggesting increased hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine arising from enhanced phospholipase A2 activity 52 , 53 .…”

Characterization and identification of selected metal-binding biomolecules from hepatic and gill cytosols of Vardar chub (Squalius vardarensis Karaman, 1928) using various techniques of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

“…On the other hand, metals also play an important physiological role in the living organisms, since many biological functions critically depend on the interaction with certain metals within the cell; for example, several proteins require a metal ion to be able to perform their catalytic activities, to stabilize their structures and to properly perform their functions [8][9][10] . Therefore, metal physiological functions, as well as their possible toxic effects on metabolism and homeostasis of fish organisms can be assessed by analyses of various metal binding biomolecules within the cells, such as various metalloenzymes and other metalloproteins [11][12][13][14] . A large number of studies on metal-binding biomolecules was carried out in the frame of various metal speciation projects, but only a few fish metalloproteins were so far identified and their functions clarified, allowing better insight into the intracellular fate of bioaccumulated metals, as well as toxic and defensive mechanisms that are triggered by metal exposure [15][16][17] .…”

Metallomics: Methodologies and Applications in Environmental Studies

“…García-Sevillano et al 26 Sistemas cromatográficos ortogonais acoplados a espectrometria de massa de plasma de acoplamento indutivo equipados com sistemas de reação de polvo (ICP-ORS-MS)…”