Untargeted metabolomics approach for unraveling robust biomarkers of nutritional status in fasted gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata).
A metabolomic study has been performed to identify sensitive and robust biomarkers of malnutrition in farmed fish, using gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) as a model. The metabolomic fingerprinting of serum from fasted fish was assessed by means of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. More than 15,000 differentm/zions were detected and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant analysis allowed a clear differentiation between the two experimental groups (fed and 10-day fasted fish) with more than 90% of total variance explained by the two first components. The most significant metabolites (up to 45) were elucidated on the basis of their tandem mass spectra with a broad representation of amino acids, oligopeptides, urea cycle metabolites, L-carnitine-related metabolites, glutathione-related metabolites, fatty acids, lysophosphatidic acids, phosphatidylcholines as well as biotin- and noradrenaline-related metabolites. This untargeted approach highlighted important adaptive responses in energy and oxidative metabolism, contributing to identify robust and nutritionally-regulated biomarkers of health and metabolic condition that will serve to assess the welfare status of farmed fish.
Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA), University Jaume I , Castellón , Spain.
Ruben
R
Gil-Solsona
Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA), University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain; Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS, CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón, Spain.
Jaime
J
Nácher-Mestre
Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA), University Jaume I , Castellón , Spain.
Leticia
L
Lacalle-Bergeron
Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA), University Jaume I , Castellón , Spain.
Juan Vicente
JV
Sancho
Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS, CSIC) , Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón , Spain.
Josep Alvar
JA
Calduch-Giner
Research Institute for Pesticides and Water (IUPA), University Jaume I , Castellón , Spain.
Félix
F
Hernández
Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS, CSIC) , Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón , Spain.
Jaume
J
Pérez-Sánchez
Aquaculture; Chromatography; Gilthead sea bream; Mass spectrometry; Nutrition; Serum metabolomics