Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2018) | Viewed by 26813

Special Issue Editor

Departments of Horticulture and Crop Science & Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: plants; metabolomics; phytochemicals; analytical chemistry; food science; nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The metabolites that make up the metabolome are responsible for maintaining life in an organism, and have been studied to better understand function. The benefit of metabolomics over more conventional studies of metabolism is metabolomics aims to comprehensively detect all of the metabolites within a system, at the same time. This allows a more holistic view of a biological system and the generation of new hypotheses about how differences between groups alter in their metabolic profiles. Metabolomics is being used with increasing frequency within the fields of plant, food and nutritional sciences as a means to gather more comprehensive information about the small molecules present in a given system. This Special Issue will focus on metabolomics applications from plants to foods to their application in in vitro and in vivo systems, and their resulting biological implications. Multi-omics manuscripts and those focusing on data analysis approaches that meet the above aims are also welcome.

Spurred by the Ohio Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Symposium in Columbus, OH on May 16-17, 2018, this Special Issue of Metabolites will be open to selected papers from this conference, in addition to other works that fall within the scope of this issue from outside this meeting. If authors have potential interest to submitting to this Special Issue, questions can be directed to the Guest Editor.

Dr. Jessica Cooperstone
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Metabolomics
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Plant science
  • Food science
  • Nutrition
  • Bioinformatics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2115 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Regulation of Glycolysis and AMP Activated Protein Kinase Pathways during Black Raspberry-Mediated Oral Cancer Chemoprevention
by Thomas J. Knobloch, Nathan M. Ryan, Lei Bruschweiler-Li, Cheng Wang, Matthew C. Bernier, Arpad Somogyi, Pearlly S. Yan, Jessica L. Cooperstone, Xiaokui Mo, Rafael P. Brüschweiler, Christopher M. Weghorst and Steve Oghumu
Metabolites 2019, 9(7), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo9070140 - 11 Jul 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5257
Abstract
Oral cancer is a public health problem with an incidence of almost 50,000 and a mortality of 10,000 each year in the USA alone. Black raspberries (BRBs) have been shown to inhibit oral carcinogenesis in several preclinical models, but our understanding of how [...] Read more.
Oral cancer is a public health problem with an incidence of almost 50,000 and a mortality of 10,000 each year in the USA alone. Black raspberries (BRBs) have been shown to inhibit oral carcinogenesis in several preclinical models, but our understanding of how BRB phytochemicals affect the metabolic pathways during oral carcinogenesis remains incomplete. We used a well-established rat oral cancer model to determine potential metabolic pathways impacted by BRBs during oral carcinogenesis. F344 rats were exposed to the oral carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide in drinking water for 14 weeks, then regular drinking water for six weeks. Carcinogen exposed rats were fed a 5% or 10% BRB supplemented diet or control diet for six weeks after carcinogen exposure. RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis on rat tongue, and mass spectrometry and NMR metabolomics analysis on rat urine were performed. We tentatively identified 57 differentially or uniquely expressed metabolites and over 662 modulated genes in rats being fed with BRB. Glycolysis and AMPK pathways were modulated during BRB-mediated oral cancer chemoprevention. Glycolytic enzymes Aldoa, Hk2, Tpi1, Pgam2, Pfkl, and Pkm2 as well as the PKA-AMPK pathway genes Prkaa2, Pde4a, Pde10a, Ywhag, and Crebbp were downregulated by BRBs during oral cancer chemoprevention. Furthermore, the glycolysis metabolite glucose-6-phosphate decreased in BRB-administered rats. Our data reveal the novel metabolic pathways modulated by BRB phytochemicals that can be targeted during the chemoprevention of oral cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement)
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15 pages, 2307 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Plant Volatiles Reveals Distinct Metabolic Profiles and Pathways among 12 Brassicaceae Vegetables
by Yu Liu, Hui Zhang, Shivshankar Umashankar, Xu Liang, Hui Wen Lee, Sanjay Swarup and Choon Nam Ong
Metabolites 2018, 8(4), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8040094 - 14 Dec 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5956
Abstract
Plants emit characteristic organic volatile compounds (VOCs) with diverse biological/ecological functions. However, the links between plant species/varieties and their phytochemical emission profiles remain elusive. Here, we developed a direct headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique and combined with non-targeted gas chromatography‒high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) [...] Read more.
Plants emit characteristic organic volatile compounds (VOCs) with diverse biological/ecological functions. However, the links between plant species/varieties and their phytochemical emission profiles remain elusive. Here, we developed a direct headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique and combined with non-targeted gas chromatography‒high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) platform to investigate the VOCs profiles of 12 common Brassicaceae vegetables (watercress, rocket, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kai lan, choy sum, pak choi, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, radish and cherry radish). The direct HS-SPME sampling approach enabled reproducible capture of the rapid-emitting VOCs upon plant tissue disruption. The results revealed extensive variation in VOCs profiles among the 12 Brassicaceae vegetables. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the VOC profiles could clearly distinguish the 12 Brassicaceae vegetables, and that these profiles well reflected the classical morphological classification. After multivariate statistical analysis, 44 VOCs with significant differences among the Brassicaceae vegetables were identified. Pathway analysis showed that three secondary metabolism pathways, including the fatty acid pathway, methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and glucosinolate (GLS) pathway, behave distinctively in these vegetables. These three pathways are responsible for the generation and emission of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), terpenes and isothiocyanates (ITCs), respectively. Correlation analysis further showed that volatile metabolites formed via the common pathway had significantly positive correlations, whereas metabolites from different pathways had either non-significant or significantly negative correlations. Genetic influences on these metabolites across various vegetable types were also evaluated. These findings extend our phytochemical knowledge of the 12 edible Brassicaceae vegetables and provide useful information on their secondary metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement)
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22 pages, 3712 KiB  
Article
Comparative Rice Bran Metabolomics across Diverse Cultivars and Functional Rice Gene–Bran Metabolite Relationships
by Iman Zarei, Emily Luna, Jan E. Leach, Anna McClung, Samuel Vilchez, Ousmane Koita and Elizabeth P. Ryan
Metabolites 2018, 8(4), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8040063 - 09 Oct 2018
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5171
Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) processing yields ~60 million metric tons of bran annually. Rice genes producing bran metabolites of nutritional and human health importance were assessed across 17 diverse cultivars from seven countries using non-targeted metabolomics, and resulted in 378–430 metabolites. Gambiaka [...] Read more.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) processing yields ~60 million metric tons of bran annually. Rice genes producing bran metabolites of nutritional and human health importance were assessed across 17 diverse cultivars from seven countries using non-targeted metabolomics, and resulted in 378–430 metabolites. Gambiaka cultivar had the highest number and Njavara had the lowest number of metabolites. The 71 rice bran compounds of significant variation by cultivar included 21 amino acids, seven carbohydrates, two metabolites from cofactors and vitamins, 33 lipids, six nucleotides, and two secondary metabolites. Tryptophan, α-ketoglutarate, γ-tocopherol/β-tocopherol, and γ-tocotrienol are examples of bran metabolites with extensive cultivar variation and genetic information. Thirty-four rice bran components that varied between cultivars linked to 535 putative biosynthetic genes using to the OryzaCyc 4.0, Plant Metabolic Network database. Rice genes responsible for bran composition with animal and human health importance is available for rice breeding programs to utilize in crop improvement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement)
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12 pages, 852 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Elemental and Metabolite Profile of Wheat Phloem Sap during Grain Filling Indicate a Dynamic between Plant Maturity and Time of Day
by Lachlan J. Palmer and James C. R. Stangoulis
Metabolites 2018, 8(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8030053 - 19 Sep 2018
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3111
Abstract
The long distance transport of Fe and Zn in the phloem sap of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the key route for seed supply, due to wheat having a xylem discontinuity. To date, our knowledge is limited on Fe and Zn homeostasis [...] Read more.
The long distance transport of Fe and Zn in the phloem sap of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the key route for seed supply, due to wheat having a xylem discontinuity. To date, our knowledge is limited on Fe and Zn homeostasis in the phloem sap during the reproductive and grain filling stages. With the use of aphid stylectomy to collect samples of phloem sap, we explored maturity and morning versus afternoon (within-day) changes in nutrient and metabolite profiles. Phloem exudate was collected from a wheat breeding line, SAMNYT16, at three times during the grain filling period and at both midday and mid-afternoon. There were significant changes in the concentration of Mg, K, Fe and Zn during the course of grain loading and there were also significant within-day differences for Fe and K concentrations in the phloem exudate during the early phases of grain development. We found that, for K and Fe, there was an increase of 1.1- and 1.4-fold, respectively, for samples taken prior to midday to those from mid-afternoon. There was also a significant decrease in K, Fe and Zn phloem sap concentration of 1.5-, 1.4- and 1.1-fold, respectively, from the start of peak grain loading to the end of grain loading. Of the 79 metabolites detected within samples of phloem exudate, 43 had significant maturity differences and 38 had significant within-day variability. Glutamine was found to increase by 3.3–5.9-fold from midday to mid-afternoon and citric acid was found to decrease by 1.6-fold from the start of grain loading to the end of grain loading. These two metabolites are of interest as they can complex metal ions and may play a role in long distance transport of metal ions. The work presented here gives further insight into the complex composition of the phloem sap and variability that can occur during the day and also with increasing maturity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement)
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17 pages, 2653 KiB  
Article
Interlaboratory Coverage Test on Plant Food Bioactive Compounds and Their Metabolites by Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics
by Ville Mikael Koistinen, Andreia Bento da Silva, László Abrankó, Dorrain Low, Rocio Garcia Villalba, Francisco Tomás Barberán, Rikard Landberg, Otto Savolainen, Inmaculada Alvarez-Acero, Sonia De Pascual-Teresa, Christof Van Poucke, Conceição Almeida, Lucie Petrásková, Kateřina Valentová, Stephanie Durand, Wiesław Wiczkowski, Dorota Szawara-Nowak, Raúl González-Domínguez, Rafael Llorach, Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, Anna-Marja Aura, Tuulikki Seppänen-Laakso, Kati Hanhineva, Claudine Manach and Maria Rosário Bronzeadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Metabolites 2018, 8(3), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo8030046 - 24 Aug 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6578
Abstract
Bioactive compounds present in plant-based foods, and their metabolites derived from gut microbiota and endogenous metabolism, represent thousands of chemical structures of potential interest for human nutrition and health. State-of-the-art analytical methodologies, including untargeted metabolomics based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, are required for [...] Read more.
Bioactive compounds present in plant-based foods, and their metabolites derived from gut microbiota and endogenous metabolism, represent thousands of chemical structures of potential interest for human nutrition and health. State-of-the-art analytical methodologies, including untargeted metabolomics based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, are required for the profiling of these compounds in complex matrices, including plant food materials and biofluids. The aim of this project was to compare the analytical coverage of untargeted metabolomics methods independently developed and employed in various European platforms. In total, 56 chemical standards representing the most common classes of bioactive compounds spread over a wide chemical space were selected and analyzed by the participating platforms (n = 13) using their preferred untargeted method. The results were used to define analytical criteria for a successful analysis of plant food bioactives. Furthermore, they will serve as a basis for an optimized consensus method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant, Food and Nutritional Metabolomics for Health Enhancement)
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