This exploratory study aims to investigate the health of sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) sampled from five sites in Port Phillip Bay, Australia using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics approaches. Three of the sites were the recipients of industrial, agricultural, and urban run-off and were considered urban sites, while the remaining two sites were remote from contaminant inputs, and hence classed as rural sites. Morphological parameters as well as polar and free fatty acid metabolites were used to investigate inter-site differences in fish health. Significant differences in liver somatic index (LSI) and metabolite abundance were observed between the urban and rural sites. Differences included higher LSI, an increased abundance of amino acids and energy metabolites, and reduced abundance of free fatty acids at the urban sites compared to the rural sites. These differences might be related to the additional energy requirements needed to cope with low-level contaminant exposure through energy demanding processes such as detoxification and antioxidant responses as well as differences in diet between the sites. In this study, we demonstrate that metabolomics approaches can offer a greater level of sensitivity compared to traditional parameters such as physiological parameters or biochemical markers of fish health, most of which showed no or little inter-site differences in the present study. Moreover, the metabolite responses are more informative than traditional biomarkers in terms of biological significance as disturbances in specific metabolic pathways can be identified.

中文翻译：

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代谢组学提供了有关低水平环境污染对鱼类健康影响的灵敏见解-一项先导研究。

这项探索性研究旨在利用气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）代谢组学方法研究从澳大利亚菲利普港湾五个地点采集的沙flat（Platycephalus bassensis）的健康状况。其中三个站点是工业，农业和城市径流的接收者，被视为城市站点，而其余两个站点远离污染物输入，因此被归类为农村站点。形态参数以及极性和游离脂肪酸代谢物用于研究鱼类健康之间的部位间差异。在城市和农村地区之间观察到肝脏体细胞指数（LSI）和代谢产物丰度的显着差异。差异包括更高的LSI，增加的氨基酸和能量代谢物，与农村地区相比，城市地区的游离脂肪酸含量降低。这些差异可能与通过能量需求过程（例如排毒和抗氧化反应）以及处理地点之间饮食差异而应对低水平污染物暴露所需的额外能量需求有关。在这项研究中，我们证明了与传统参数（例如鱼类健康的生理参数或生化标记）相比，代谢组学方法可以提供更高的敏感性，而在本研究中，大多数研究结果显示站点间差异很小或几乎没有。此外，就生物学意义而言，由于可以识别特定代谢途径的紊乱，因此代谢物的反应比传统生物标志物更具信息性。这些差异可能与通过能量需求过程（例如排毒和抗氧化反应）以及处理地点之间饮食差异而应对低水平污染物暴露所需的额外能量需求有关。在这项研究中，我们证明了与传统参数（例如鱼类健康的生理参数或生化标记）相比，代谢组学方法可以提供更高的敏感性，而在本研究中，大多数研究结果显示站点间差异很小或几乎没有。此外，就生物学意义而言，由于可以识别特定代谢途径的紊乱，因此代谢物的反应比传统生物标志物更具信息性。这些差异可能与通过能量需求过程（例如排毒和抗氧化反应）以及处理地点之间饮食差异而应对低水平污染物暴露所需的额外能量需求有关。在这项研究中，我们证明了与传统参数（例如鱼类健康的生理参数或生化标记）相比，代谢组学方法可以提供更高的敏感性，而在本研究中，大多数研究结果显示站点间差异很小或几乎没有。此外，就生物学意义而言，由于可以识别特定代谢途径的紊乱，因此代谢物的反应比传统生物标志物更具信息性。