The menstrual cycle is an essential life rhythm governed by interacting levels of progesterone, estradiol, follicular stimulating, and luteinizing hormones. To study metabolic changes, biofluids were ...collected at four timepoints in the menstrual cycle from 34 healthy, premenopausal women. Serum hormones, urinary luteinizing hormone and self-reported menstrual cycle timing were used for a 5-phase cycle classification. Plasma and urine were analyzed using LC-MS and GC-MS for metabolomics and lipidomics; serum for clinical chemistries; and plasma for B vitamins using HPLC-FLD. Of 397 metabolites and micronutrients tested, 208 were significantly (p < 0.05) changed and 71 reached the FDR 0.20 threshold showing rhythmicity in neurotransmitter precursors, glutathione metabolism, the urea cycle, 4-pyridoxic acid, and 25-OH vitamin D. In total, 39 amino acids and derivatives and 18 lipid species decreased (FDR < 0.20) in the luteal phase, possibly indicative of an anabolic state during the progesterone peak and recovery during menstruation and the follicular phase. The reduced metabolite levels observed may represent a time of vulnerability to hormone related health issues such as PMS and PMDD, in the setting of a healthy, rhythmic state. These results provide a foundation for further research on cyclic differences in nutrient-related metabolites and may form the basis of novel nutrition strategies for women.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fruit maturation and tissue differentiation are important topics in plant physiology. These biological phenomena are accompanied by specific alterations in the biological system, such as differences ...in the type and concentration of metabolites. The secondary metabolism of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit was monitored by using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to photo-diode array (PDA) detection, fluorescence detection (FD), and mass spectrometry (MS). Through this integrated approach different classes of compounds were analysed: carotenoids, xanthophylls, chlorophylls, tocopherols, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, phenolic acids, glycoalkaloids, saponins, and other glycosylated derivatives. Related metabolite profiles of peel and flesh were found between several commercial tomato cultivars indicating similar metabolite trends despite the genetic background. For a single tomato cultivar, metabolite profiles of different fruit tissues (vascular attachment region, columella and placenta, epidermis, pericarp, and jelly parenchyma) were examined at the green, breaker, turning, pink, and red stages of fruit development. Unrelated to the chemical nature of the metabolites, behavioural patterns could be assigned to specific ripening stages or tissues. These findings suggest spatio-temporal specificity in the accumulation of endogenous metabolites from tomato fruit.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Large amounts of plant litter deposited in cacao agroforestry systems play a key role in nutrient cycling. Organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling and microbial biomass were investigated in ...cacao agroforestry systems on Latosols and Cambisols in Bahia, Brazil. The objective of this study was to characterize the microbial C and N, mineralizable N and organic P in two soil orders under three types of cacao agroforestry systems and an adjacent natural forest in Bahia, Brazil and also to evaluate the relationship between P fractions, microbial biomass and mineralized N with other soil attributes. Overall, the average stocks of organic C, total N and total organic P across all systems for 0–50 cm soil depth were 89,072, 8,838 and 790 kg ha−1, respectively. At this soil depth the average stock of labile organic P was 55.5 kg ha−1. For 0–10 cm soil depth, there were large amounts of microbial biomass C (mean of 286 kg ha−1), microbial biomass N (mean of 168 kg ha−1) and mineralizable N (mean of 79 kg ha−1). Organic P (total and labile) was negatively related to organic C, reflecting that the dynamics of organic P in these cacao agroforestry systems are not directly associated with organic C dynamics in soils, in contrast to the dynamics of N. Furthermore, the amounts of soil microbial biomass, mineralizable N, and organic P could be relevant for cacao nutrition, considering the low amount of N and P exported in cacao seeds.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Gestational diabetes and gestational hypertensive disorders are associated with offspring obesity, but the role of maternal adiposity in these associations remains unclear. We aimed to investigate ...whether these pregnancy complications affect the odds of offspring obesity independently of maternal obesity.
We did an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of mother-offspring pairs from prospective birth cohort studies that had IPD on mothers with singleton liveborn children born from 1989 onwards and had information available about maternal gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia, and childhood body-mass index (BMI). We applied multilevel mixed-effects models to assess associations of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia with BMI SD scores and the odds of overweight and obesity throughout childhood, adjusting for lifestyle characteristics (offspring's sex, maternal age, educational level, ethnicity, parity, and smoking during pregnancy). We then explored the extent to which any association was explained by maternal pre-pregnancy or early-pregnancy BMI.
160 757 mother-offspring pairs from 34 European or North American cohorts were analysed. Compared with uncomplicated pregnancies, gestational diabetes was associated with increased odds of overweight or obesity throughout childhood (odds ratio OR 1·59 95% CI 1·36 to 1·86 for early childhood age 2·0-4·9 years, 1·41 1·26 to 1·57 for mid childhood 5·0-9·9 years, and 1·32 0·97 to 1·78 for late childhood 10·0-17·9 years); however, these associations attenuated towards the null following adjustment for maternal BMI (OR 1·35 95% CI 1·15 to 1·58 for early childhood, 1·12 1·00 to 1·25 for mid childhood, and 0·96 0·71 to 1·31 for late childhood). Likewise, gestational hypertension was associated with increased odds of overweight throughout childhood (OR 1·19 95% CI 1·01 to 1·39 for early childhood, 1·23 1·15 to 1·32 for mid childhood, and 1·49 1·30 to 1·70 for late childhood), but additional adjustment for maternal BMI largely explained these associations (1·01 95% CI 0·86 to 1·19 for early childhood, 1·02 0·95 to 1·10 for mid childhood, and 1·18 1·03 to 1·36 for late childhood). Pre-eclampsia was associated with decreased BMI in early childhood only (difference in BMI SD score -0·05 SD score 95% CI -0·09 to -0·01), and this association strengthened following additional adjustment for maternal BMI.
Although lowering maternal risk of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and pre-eclampsia is important in relation to maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes, such interventions are unlikely to have a direct impact on childhood obesity. Preventive strategies for reducing childhood obesity should focus on maternal BMI rather than on pregnancy complications.
EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (LifeCycle Project).
The improvements in separation and analysis of complex mixtures by LC-NMR during the last decade have shifted its emphasis from data acquisition to data analysis. For correct data analysis, not only ...high quality datasets are necessary, but adequate software and adequate databases for semi (or fully)-automated assignments of complex molecules are needed. Only by using NMR, when necessary in combination with MS, the identification of molecules, as present for example in natural products, can be achieved. Here we report on the ongoing efforts required for the construction of an NMR database of flavonoids, implemented for automated assignments of flavonoids. The procedure is demonstrated for a series of flavonoids
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Agroforestry systems can play a major role in the sequestration of carbon (C) because of their higher input of organic material to the soil. The importance of organic carbon to the physical, ...chemical, and biological aspects of soil quality is well recognized. However, total organic carbon measurements might not be sensitive indicators of changes in soil quality. Adoption of procedures that can extract the more labile fraction preferentially might be a more useful approach for the characterization of soil organic carbon resulting from different soils. This study aimed to evaluate organic carbon (C) fractions distribution in different soil layers up to 50 cm depth in two soil orders under cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry systems (AFS) in Bahia, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from four depth classes (0-5, 5-10, 10-30 and 30-50 cm) under two cacao agroforestry systems (30-year-old stands of cacao with Erythrina glauca, as shade trees) in Latosol and Cambisol, in Bahia, Brazil. The determination of oxidizable carbon by a modified Walkley-Black method was done to obtain four C fractions with different labile forms of C (fraction 1: labile fraction; fraction 2: moderate labile fraction; fraction 3: low labile fraction and fraction 4: recalcitrant fraction). Overall, at two cacao AFS, the C fractions generally declined with increase in soil depth. The C fractions 1 and 2 were 50% higher on upper layers (0-5 and 5-10 cm). More than 50% of organic C was found in more labile fraction (fraction 1) in all depths for both soils. High value of C fraction 1 (more labile C)-to-total organic C ratio was obtained (around 54-59%, on Latosol and Cambisol, respectively), indicating large input of organic matter in these soils.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
▶ Acidity, nutrition, palatability affected the abundance and diversity of fauna. ▶ The faunal communities were more sensitive to litter quality than soil quality. ▶ Litter management could maintain ...healthy activities of the faunal community. ▶ Litter management could improve ecosystem functioning in cacao agroforestry systems.
This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between soil and litter attributes to soil and litter fauna, and further to determine which of these attributes would be most significant in explaining the distribution of faunal communities in cacao agroforestry systems in the south of Bahia, Brazil. Soil and litter samples were collected in five cacao agroforestry systems: a cacao system renewed under
Erythrina sp. (CRE); a cacao system renewed under natural forest (Cabruca—CRF); a cacao system under
Erythrina sp. (CE); a cacao system under a natural forest system (Cabruca—CNF) and a cacao germplasm collection area (CGC). Soil and litter samples were also collected from natural forest (NF) near the agroforestry systems. The path analysis was used to evaluate the interdependencies among a set of variables including direct and indirect test effects that can be mediated by an intermediary variable. An average of 1367 (±126.5) individuals
m
−2 and 10 (±0.3) taxa per sample were found under these areas. Soil attributes and litter quality under different cacao agroforestry systems affected the diversity of the soil and litter fauna, and these attributes are potential regulators of the fauna functional groups. The chemical components related to acidity, nutrition, and palatability are most decisive for abundant and diverse soil and litter fauna. Attributes which affected soil fauna in cacao agroforestry systems included mainly pH and bulk density in soil and polyphenols and lignin content in the litter. The faunal communities were more sensitive to litter quality than soil quality. Litter management could be a good practice to maintain healthy activities of the faunal community and to maintain improved ecosystem functioning in cacao agroforestry systems.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Epidemiological studies consistently find that diets rich in whole-grain (WG) cereals lead to decreased risk of disease compared with refined grain (RG)-based diets. Aside from a greater amount of ...fiber and micronutrients, possible mechanisms for why WGs may be beneficial for health remain speculative. In an exploratory, randomized, researcher-blinded, crossover trial, we measured metabolic profile differences between healthy participants eating a diet based on WGs compared with a diet based on RGs. Seventeen healthy adult participants (11 female, 6 male) consumed a controlled diet based on either WG-rich or RG-rich foods for 2 wk, followed by the other diet after a 5-wk washout period. Both diets were the same except for the use of WG (150 g/d) or RG foods. The metabolic profiles of plasma, urine, and fecal water were measured using (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (plasma only). After 1 wk of intervention, the WG diet led to decreases in urinary excretion of metabolites related to protein catabolism (urea, methylguanadine), lipid (carnitine and acylcarnitines) and gut microbial (4-hydroxyphenylacetate, trimethylacetate, dimethylacetate) metabolism in men compared with the same time point during the RG intervention. There were no differences between the interventions after 2 wk. Urinary urea, carnitine, and acylcarnitine were lower at wk 1 of the WG intervention relative to the RG intervention in all participants. Fecal water short-chain fatty acids acetate and butyrate were relatively greater after the WG diet compared to the RG diet. Although based on a small population and for a short time period, these observations suggest that a WG diet may affect protein metabolism.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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