Insight into the negative effect and lipid profile alterations in liver of mice exposed to methylimidazolium ionic liquids, a novel "green" solvent

Ming Li; Zhunan Xia; Shiyi Chen; Xin Liu; Qiao Wang; Yan Liu; Yongning Wu; Sheng Wen; Zhiyong Gong

doi:10.1093/toxres/tfad079

Insight into the negative effect and lipid profile alterations in liver of mice exposed to methylimidazolium ionic liquids, a novel "green" solvent

Toxicol Res (Camb). 2023 Sep 19;12(5):884-894. doi: 10.1093/toxres/tfad079. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Authors

Ming Li¹, Zhunan Xia¹, Shiyi Chen¹, Xin Liu¹, Qiao Wang¹, Yan Liu¹, Yongning Wu^{1

2}, Sheng Wen³, Zhiyong Gong¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan Polytechnic University, No. 68 Xuefu South Road, Dongxihu District, Wuhan, Hubei 430023, China.
² Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (No. 2019RU014); NHC Key Lab of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), No. 37, Guangqu Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022, China.
³ Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 35 Zhuodaoquan North Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China.

PMID: 37915492
PMCID: PMC10615802 (available on 2024-09-19)
DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfad079

Abstract

Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) have been recognized as potential environmentally friendly solvents; however, their potential toxicity to living organisms warrants thorough investigation, particularly for novel-generation ILs in mammalian models.

Methods: In this study, we examined the hepatic effects and disruption of lipid metabolism in mice exposed to 1-heptyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C7[MIM]Cl), a novel ILs. After four weeks of oral administration at different dosages (2.38, 5.95, and 11.9 mg/kg b.w.), we conducted clinical chemistry analysis and histopathological examination of the liver to assess biochemical and structural changes.

Results: The low-dose C7[MIM]Cl group exhibited a significant increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, while aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were elevated in both low-dose and high-dose groups without statistical significance. Histopathological examination showed inflammatory cell infiltration and red blood cell aggregation in the livers of mice exposed to C7[MIM]Cl, particularly in the high-dose group. Oxidative stress levels showed moderate changes in response to C7[MIM]Cl exposure. Notably, hepatic biochemical parameters revealed a dose-dependent increase in triglycerides (TG) levels with statistically significant differences compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.01). Targeted lipidomic analysis revealed notable alterations in liver lipids of mice exposed to C7[MIM]Cl, with lysophosphatidylethanolamine (18:0), phosphatidylcholines (18:0), and phosphatidylcholines (19:0) identified as critical lipids associated with C7[MIM]Cl exposure. Furthermore, metabolic pathway analyses demonstrated significant disturbances in the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway.

Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights into the hepatic effects of C7[MIM]Cl exposure and novel perspectives on the disruption of lipid metabolism underlying ILs toxicity.

Keywords: hepatic effects; ionic liquids; lipids alterations; oxidative stress; targeted metabolomics.

Abstract

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