Metabolomics assessment in long-term chronic and acute anesthetic exposure

• Grant number: 23/14529-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Mariana Gobbo Braz
• Grantee: Mariana Gobbo Braz
• Principal researcher abroad: Luis Alejandro Jose Mur
• Institution abroad: Aberystwyth University, Wales
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Leandro Gobbo Braz
• Associated research grant: 22/10026-6 - Transcriptional, epigenetic, metabolomics and oxidative-inflammatory profile of anesthetic exposure in professionals working in a veterinary surgical center, AP.R

Abstract

Metabolomics can be used in high through put mode to provide a "snap-shot" of metabolism, as represented by a biological sample, such as biofluid. Robust analyses pipelines have been developed for metabolomics, so that they are emerging as an informative technique to help precision medicine and other areas, by yielding important new insights into a number of important biological and physiological processes. However, metabolomics has been little employed in the field of anesthesiology. In fact, only a few recent studies have used metabolomics approach on anesthetized animals/offspring to assess neurotoxicity as well as surgical anesthetized patients or volunteers exposed to anesthetics. However, no study has evaluated the metabolome in plasma from professionals occupationally exposed to trace anesthetic concentrations or from animals exposed to different concentrations of sevoflurane. Our proposal aims to investigate and understand the impact on the metabolome of anesthetic exposure by veterinarians occupationally exposed to traces of isoflurane and sevoflurane as a long-term chronic exposure as well as to animals exposed to sevoflurane (mice and rats) as a single/acute exposure (with different anesthetic concentrations for evaluating possible dose-response in addition to sample collection in different time points) by metabolomics analyses. Considering the importance/originality of this topic, the results obtained will provide information that will contribute to a better understanding of the possible toxic effects/mechanisms of anesthetic exposure. The proposal will reveal pathways that are "activated"/"repressed" by anesthetics (metabolites) as well as possible outcomes (metabolic signature/biomarkers) in different species (human, rat and mice). This research will promote the engagement of researchers from UNESP-Botucatu (Brazil) in partnership with researchers from the United Kingdom (Aberystwyth University, Wales) to improve ongoing research projects. Furthermore, with the results obtained with this proposal and subsequent discussion during the missions, we will work cooperatively to develop medium to long-term joint research projects, for submission to funding agencies. In this way, this study will contribute to great advancement in the field of anesthesiology in addition to establishing a partnership between Brazilian and British researchers and students. (AU)