Multiassay nutritional metabolomics profiling of low vitamin A status versus adequacy is characterized by reduced plasma lipid mediators among lactating women in the Philippines: A pilot study

Catherine M Johnson; Rodrigo Rosario; Alex Brito; Karan Agrawal; Rob Fanter; Georg Lietz; Marjorie Haskell; Reina Engle-Stone; John W Newman; Michael R La Frano

doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2022.05.007

Multiassay nutritional metabolomics profiling of low vitamin A status versus adequacy is characterized by reduced plasma lipid mediators among lactating women in the Philippines: A pilot study

Nutr Res. 2022 Aug:104:118-127. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.05.007. Epub 2022 May 28.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA.
² Laboratory of Pharmacokinetics and Metabolomic Analysis. Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology. I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia; World-Class Research Center "Digital Biodesign and Personalized Healthcare", I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
³ Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁴ College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA.
⁵ Population Health Sciences Institute, Human Nutrition Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK.
⁶ Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁷ Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; West Coast Metabolomics Center, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Obesity and Metabolism Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁸ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA; Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; West Coast Metabolomics Center, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Center for Health Research, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407; USA; Cal Poly Metabolomics Service Center, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA. Electronic address: mlafrano@calpoly.edu.

PMID: 35732076
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2022.05.007

Abstract

Low vitamin A (VA) status is common among lactating women in low-income countries. Lactation has substantial effects on mother's metabolism and VA is required in multiple biological processes, including growth, vision, immunity, and reproduction. The objective of this pilot study was to use metabolomics profiling to conduct a broad, exploratory assessment of differences in plasma metabolites associated with low VA status versus VA adequacy in lactating women. Plasma samples from lactating women who participated in a survey in Samar, Philippines, were selected from a cross-sectional study based on plasma retinol concentrations indicating low (VA-; n = 5) or adequate (VA+; n = 5) VA status (plasma retinol <0.8 or >1.05 µmol/L). The plasma results collected from 6 metabolomics assays (oxylipins, endocannabinoids, bile acids, primary metabolomics, biogenic amines, and lipidomics) were compared by group using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Twenty-eight metabolites were altered in the VA- versus VA+ status groups, with 24 being lipid mediators (P < .05). These lipid mediators included lower concentrations of arachidonic acid- and eicosapentaenoic acid-derived oxylipins, as well as lysophospholipids and sphingolipids, in the VA- group (P < .05). Chemical similarity enrichment analysis identified hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids, hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acids, and dihydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids as significantly altered oxylipin clusters (P < .0001, false discovery rate [FDR] P < .0001), as well as sphingomyelins, saturated lysophosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylcholines, and phosphatidylethanolamines (P < .001, FDR P < .01). The multiassay nutritional metabolomics profiling of low VA status compared with adequacy in lactating women was characterized by reduced lipid mediator concentrations. Future studies with stronger study designs and larger sample size are needed to confirm and validate these preliminary results.

Keywords: Lipid mediators; Metabolomics; Micronutrient deficiencies; Nutritional metabolomics; Oxylipins; Vitamin A.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Arachidonic Acid
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Humans
Lactation* / metabolism
Metabolomics
Nutritional Status
Oxylipins
Philippines
Pilot Projects
Vitamin A*

Substances

Oxylipins
Vitamin A
Arachidonic Acid

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding