Urine metabolite analysis as a function of deoxynivalenol exposure: an NMR-based metabolomics investigation

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 255 - 261
• Main Authors: Hopton, R.P., Turner, E., Burley, V.J., Turner, P.C., Fisher, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.02.2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; analysis - nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); beer; Beers; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; bread; cereals and grain; Crops; Environmental Exposure; exposure; Female; Fermented food industries; Food contamination & poisoning; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; Hordeum vulgare; Human exposure; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - methods; Male; Metabolomics; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; mycotoxins - Fusarium; mycotoxins - trichothecenes; Mycotoxins - urine; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Trichothecenes - urine; Triticum aestivum; Zea mays; British Isles; Urine; Biological fluid; Bakery product; Metabolite; Mycotoxin; Vomitoxin; analysis - nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); NMR spectrometry; cereals and grain; Trichothecene; Beer; Bread; Fungi; Alcoholic beverage; Toxin; mycotoxins - trichothecenes; exposure; Cereal product; Analysis; Fusarium; Cereal; Fungi Imperfecti; mycotoxins - Fusarium
• DOI: 10.1080/19440040903314015
• ISSN: 1944-0049

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxic fungal metabolite that frequently contaminates cereal crops including wheat, maize and barley. Despite knowledge of frequent exposure through diet, our understanding of the potential consequences of human exposure remains limited, in part due to the lack of validated exposure biomarkers. In this study, we interrogated the urinary metabolome using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to compare individuals with known low and high DON exposure through consumption of their normal diet. Urine samples from 22 adults from the UK (seven males, 15 females; age range = 21-59 years) had previously determined urinary DON levels using an established liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) assay. Urine samples were subsequently analysed using an NMR-based metabolomics approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis. Metabolic profiling suggested that hippurate levels could be used to distinguish between groups with low (3.6 ng DON mg −1 creatinine: 95% CI = 2.6, 5.0 ng mg −1 ) and high (11.1 ng mg −1 : 95% CI = 8.1, 15.5 ng mg −1 ) DON exposure, with the concentration of hippurate being significantly (1.5 times) higher for people with high DON exposure than for those with low DON exposure (p = 0.047). This, to our knowledge, is the first report of a metabolomics-derived biomarker of DON exposure in humans.