Free amino acid and acylcarnitine values in Ursus americanus Pallas 1780 (black bear) from Northeastern Mexico

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 2; p. e0272979
• Main Authors: Abellan-Borja, Andres, Rodriguez-Sanchez, Iram P, Carrera-Treviño, Rogelio, Villanueva-Segura, Olga Karina, Zapata-Morin, Patricio Adrian, Martinez-de-Villareal, Laura E, Barboza-Aranda, Luis Javier, Gomez-Govea, Mayra A, Martinez-Fierro, Margarita L, Delgado-Enciso, Ivan, Ruiz-Ayma, Gabriel, Gonzalez-Rojas, Jose Ignacio, Guzman-Velasco, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 03.02.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Age differences; Alanine; Amino Acids; Animal populations; Animals; Bears; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Black bear; Carnitine; Carnitine - metabolism; Chronology; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Endangered species; Fatty acids; Geographical distribution; Habitat loss; Health aspects; Hunting; Mass spectrometry; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolic disorders; Metabolites; Mexico; Organic acids; Oxidation; Peripheral blood; Physiology; Research and Analysis Methods; Scientific imaging; Ursidae - metabolism; Ursus americanus; Variance analysis; Wildlife conservation; Mexico; North America
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272979

Ursus americanus Pallas 1780 is the largest carnivore and the only ursid in Mexico. It is considered an endangered species in the country because its distribution and population have been reduced by up to 80% because of habitat loss or furtive hunting. These problems can lead to a diet change, which could result in metabolic disorders, such as fatty acid β-oxidation defects or organic acid metabolism disorders. In our study, a free amino acid and acylcarnitine profile was characterized. Peripheral blood samples were drawn from nine free-ranging black bears in a period of five months, from June to October of 2019 in Northeastern Mexico, and 12 amino acids and 30 acylcarnitines were determined and quantified. Age differences were observed in the samples through ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test. Only three metabolites showed a significant difference with age: alanine (Ala) [cubs vs juvenile], free-carnitine (C0) [juvenile vs cubs] and acetylcarnitine (C2) [cubs vs adults and juvenile vs cubs]. Metabolites with variability due to age were identified, making them potential biomarkers to monitor metabolic status as early diagnosis in endangered species. This is the first study of black bear amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles, and the values found could be used as reference for free amino acid and acylcarnitine concentrations in further studies of the species.