In the present study, profiling of the Moringa oleifera seeds metabolome was carried out by employing proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis (MVDA) of 3 different solvent extracts. The principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) score plot reveal that methanol extract was discriminated from ethyl acetate and hexane extracts by PC1 while ethyl acetate and hexane extracts were well separated from methanol extract by PC2. The PLS-DA loading plot highlighted the potential metabolites, which are responsible for the group separation observed in the score plot. Further detailed examination of the loading plot shows that methanol extract contains significantly higher amount of vitamins, sterols, amino acids and fatty acids compared to the other extracts. A total of 37 compounds were detected from the 3 different solvents upon which the methanolic extract was identified to contain more metabolites and in a wider range than the other organic solvent extracts. Based on PLS analysis, ergosterol, oleic acid, isoleucine, riboflavin, cholesterol, leucine, ascorbic acid, stigmasterol, tryptophan, choline, histidine and cysteine displayed strong correlation to 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity. Hence, this extract would be more appropriate in metabolite extraction for analysis and for therapeutical benefits. Therefore, NMR spectroscopy combined with MVDA in compliment with the right choice of solvent for extraction could be utilized by applicable industries to obtain maximum valued metabolites within a short period of time. Besides having high diversity of metabolites, M. oleifera seeds can serve as potential nutritional source to develop new functional foods, and even as a source of biodiesel. Key words: Moringa oleifera seeds, functional food, biofuel, metabolome, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), multivariate data analysis, 1H NMR metabolomics.
Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is converted to a neutral beta-amino acid, chemically known as (2-Amino-ethane sulfonic acid) having chemical formula C2H7NO3S. It was first isolated from Ox bile, and thus derives its name from the Latin word "Taurus", meaning 'ox' or 'bull'. This is the only amino acid that is extensively found in animal tissue. The richest source of taurine is meat whereas fish, human tissue, large intestine, and human breast milk are also good/prime sources. It is present in high concentrations in animal tissues, especially the heart, brain, retina, skeletal muscles, large intestines, plasma, blood cells, and leucocytes. Plant protein is devoid of taurine. It involves many functions from prevention to protection, osmoregulation, conjugation of bile, anti-oxidation, membrane stabilization, and modulation of calcium signaling. Hence it is also known as a poly-functional or wonderful molecule. Taurine is significantly involved in functions of the cardiovascular, skeletal muscle, retina, and the central nervous system. It differs from other neuroprotective amino acids due to the presence of sulfonic acid instead of carboxylic acid, and the presence of sulphonate makes it a strong acid. Dietary taurine is beneficial in treating bone-related disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, and immunological defense against microbes, through enhancing the metabolism/functions of monocytes, macrophages, and other cells of the immune system. The human body contains about 1% body weight as taurine. In this review, we have made attempts to provide synthesis, chemical, biological function of taurine, which may guide and facilitate further research in this area. Key words: Taurine, spinal cord injury (SCI), taurus, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), osmolytes.
Acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) is an extremely overwhelming disease with high morbidity and mortality. Despite significant successes in understanding the pathophysiology of ASCI, little is known about limiting neurological damage and predicting recovery. Biofluid metabolomics by 1H NMR spectroscopy for metabolites quantification specific to nervous tissue injury may determine the injury and progression. This study evaluates the urinary metabolic profile in ASCI cases on two different treatment modalities. One forty participants were enrolled. Group-1, “healthy control, n=70”, ASCI cases in Group-2 “fixation with stem cells therapy, n=35” and ASCI cases in Group-3, “fixation alone n=35”. Urine samples were collected at baseline and regular follow-ups up to the 6th month for 1H NMR spectroscopy. The sample spectra were subjected to multivariate Orthogonal Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) and Variable Importance to the Projection (VIP) analysis. The significant metabolites were correlated with neurological recovery. Acetate, creatinine, creatine, creatine phosphate, urea, and phenylalanine were found to be significant. The 3D scattered score plots in OPLS-DA represented the shifting of cases towards control in the final follow-up. It was further substantiated on VIP score plots. The metabolic aberrations in urine with disease severity in ASCI could be a potential biomarker of neurological recovery. Key words: NMR spectroscopy, metabolomics, acute spinal cord injury (ASCI), Asia impairment scale (AIS), neurological recovery.
Integrative Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) DNA and RNA analyses have very recently become feasible, and the published to date studies have discovered critical disease implicated pathways, and diagnostic and therapeutic targets.A growing number of exomes, genomes and transcriptomes from the same individual are quickly accumulating, providing unique venues for mechanistic and regulatory features analysis, and, at the same time, requiring new exploration strategies.In this study, we have integrated variation and expression information of four NGS datasets from the same individual: normal and tumor breast exomes and transcriptomes.Focusing on SNPcentered variant allelic prevalence, we illustrate analytical algorithms that can be applied to extract or validate potential regulatory elements, such as expression or growth advantage, imprinting, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), somatic changes, and RNA editing.In addition, we point to some critical elements that might bias the output and recommend alternative measures to maximize the confidence of findings.The need for such strategies is especially recognized within the growing appreciation of the concept of systems biology: integrative exploration of genome and transcriptome features reveal mechanistic and regulatory insights that reach far beyond linear addition of the individual datasets.
Metabolomics captures the cellular chemistry and thereby the ultimate realization of numerous genetic, transcriptional, and enzymatic events. The mechanistic interpretation of small molecules as substrates, intermediates, or products of biochemical action is necessary to place metabolites into the correct physiological context of a system. Therefore, the tight connection between omics technologies and systems biology is vital.
