title: Serum Metabolomic Profiling of Sulphur Mustard-Exposed Individuals Using (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
abstract: Sulphur mustard is an alkylating agent that reacts with different cellular components, causing acute and delayed complications that may remain for decades after exposure. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed metabolites between mustard-exposed individuals suffering from chronic complications compared with unexposed individuals as the control group. Serum samples were obtained from 15 mustard-exposed individuals and 15 apparently healthy unexposed individuals. Metabolomic profiling was performed using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and analyses were carried out using Chenomex and MATLAB softwares. Metabolites were identified using Human Metabolome Database, and the main metabolic pathways were identified using MetaboAnalyst software. Chemometric analysis of serum samples identified 11 differentially expressed metabolites between mustard-exposed and unexposed groups. The main pathways that were influenced by sulphur mustard exposure were related to vitamin B6 (down-regulation), bile acid (up-regulation) and tryptophan (down-regulation) metabolism. Metabolism of vitamin B6, bile acids and tryptophan are the most severely impaired pathways in individuals suffering from chronic mustard-induced complications. These findings may find implications in the monitoring of exposed patients and identification of new therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zamani
authors.affiliation: Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghanei
authors.affiliation: Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Yunus
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Panahi
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arjmand
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mirkhani
authors.affiliation: Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parvin
authors.affiliation: Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Amirhossein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahebkar
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vahabi
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D055442:Metabolome / Q000187:drug effects*; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D014728:Veterans; D000067453:War Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D009151:Mustard Gas