Targeted Metabolomics to Assess Exposure to Environmental Chemicals of Concern in Japanese Quail at Two Life Stages

Elena Legrand; Niladri Basu; Markus Hecker; Doug Crump; Jianguo Xia; Bharat Chandramouli; Heather Butler; Jessica A Head

doi:10.3390/metabo11120850

Targeted Metabolomics to Assess Exposure to Environmental Chemicals of Concern in Japanese Quail at Two Life Stages

Metabolites. 2021 Dec 8;11(12):850. doi: 10.3390/metabo11120850.

Authors

Elena Legrand¹, Niladri Basu¹, Markus Hecker², Doug Crump³, Jianguo Xia¹, Bharat Chandramouli⁴, Heather Butler⁴, Jessica A Head¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
² Toxicology Centre and School of the Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada.
³ Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
⁴ SGS-AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., 2045 Mills Road West, Sidney, BC V8L 5X2, Canada.

Abstract

This proof-of-concept study characterizes the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) hepatic metabolome following exposure to benzo[a]pyrene, chlorpyrifos, ethinylestradiol, fluoxetine hydrochloride, hexabromocyclododecane, lead(II)nitrate, seleno-L-methionine, and trenbolone in embryos and adults. The analysis revealed effects on lipid metabolism following exposure to several chemicals at both life stages. The most pronounced effects were observed in embryos exposed to 41.1 μg/g chlorpyrifos. This work highlighted challenges and the need for further avian metabolomics studies.

Keywords: LC-MS; avian; early life stage; environmental metabolomics; mass spectrometry.