Yuanyuan Li, PhD, a member of the Sumner Lab at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI), has been published in Archives of Toxicology with her manuscript titled “Exposure to inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites alters metabolomics profiles in INS-1 832/13 insulinoma cells and isolated pancreatic islet.”
Li’s primary research has focused on the prevention and management of obesity and diabetes. Mirek Styblo, PhD, professor in the Department of Nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, explains that inorganic arsenic and its metabolites (arsenicals) are termed diabetogens because of their role in inhibiting glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Styblo’s team exposed beta cells and pancreatic islet cells to arsenicals. Li used untargeted metabolomics to reveal metabolic perturbations associated with the exposures. They found that arsenical compounds induce metabolic perturbations that suggest impaired ATP production and/or mitochondrial dysfunction as mechanisms underlying the inhibition of GSIS in exposed cells. Susan Sumner, PhD, professor in the Department of Nutrition and principal investigator at the NRI, emphasizes that untargeted metabolomics is an ideal tool for revealing modes of action associated with exposures to nutrients, diets, drugs, medications, alcohol and tobacco, environmentally relevant chemicals.
Li, Y., Douillet, C., Huang, M. et al. Exposure to inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites alters metabolomics profiles in INS-1 832/13 insulinoma cells and isolated pancreatic islets. Arch Toxicol (2020).
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02729-y
