Introduction & Objective: In recent times, emerging diagnostic tools known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have shown promise as potential biomarkers for obesity and its related diseases. Accumulation of free radical damage over time can emerge as a significant contributor to various human diseases associated with oxidative stress. We hypothesize that in a pathological condition such as obesity, it has the potential to generate new VOCs or alter the ratio of normally produced VOCs due to an increase in oxidative stress (OS). This may provide valuable insights into the metabolic condition of an obese individual.
Methods: An oxidative stress induced obese model of differentiated 3T3-L1 cell lines was constructed using hydrogen peroxide treatment. The effect of OS on cell metabolism was in-depth studied by analyzing VOCs in the headspace of the cells using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Results: Twenty VOCs were identified in samples used for this experiment. Eight VOCs showed an elevated trend, while four VOC peaks showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) with an increase in oxidative stress compared to the control adipocytes.
Conclusion: The VOC biomarkers identified predominantly included linear chain alkanes, branched-chain alkanes, straight chains, and aromatic alcohols, probably derived from lipid peroxidation and amino acid metabolism when OS is induced in differentiated adipocytes. This study revealed that VOCs are influenced by elevated OS in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells and offered insights into exploring the mechanism of exhaled biomarkers, thereby promoting the non-invasive prediction of obesity.
A.S. Oyerinde: None. M.D. Boersma: None. R.B. Jeganathan: None. G. Thangiah: None.
National Institutes of Health (R15HL168608)
