title: Global metabolite profiling reveals transformation pathways and novel metabolomic responses in Solea senegalensis after exposure to a non-ionic surfactant.
abstract: Alcohol polyethoxylate (AEO) surfactants are widely used in household and industrial products, but the health effects arising from short-term exposure to sublethal concentrations are unknown. A metabolomic approach was used to investigate the biotransformation and effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of hexaethylene glycol monododecylether (C12EO6) in juvenile sole, Solea senegalensis. After 5 days, C12EO6 was rapidly metabolized in the sole by oxidation, glucuronidation, and ethoxylate chain shortening. C12EO6 exposure at either 146 or 553 μg L(-1) resulted in significant metabolite disruption in liver and blood samples, including an apparent fold increase of >10(6) in the circulating levels of C24 bile acids and C27 bile alcohols, disturbance of glucocorticoid and lipid metabolism, and a 470-fold decrease in levels of the fatty acid transport molecule palmitoyl carnitine. Depuration resulted in rapid elimination of the surfactant and normalization of metabolites toward pre-exposure levels. Our findings show for the first time the ability of metabolomic analyses to discern effects of this AEO on metabolite homeostasis at exposure levels below its no effect concentrations for survival and reproduction in juvenile fish. The pronounced alteration in levels of liver metabolites, phospholipids, and glucocorticoids in S. senegalensis in response to surfactant exposure may indicate that this contaminant could potentially impact a number of health end points in fish.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex , Brighton BN1 9QJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Álvarez-Muñoz
authors.forename: Raghad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al-Salhi
authors.forename: Alaa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdul-Sada
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González-Mazo
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D055432:Metabolomics; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents