Exploring the effects of anthocyanins on volatile organic metabolites of alzheimer’s disease model mice based on HS-GC-IMS and HS-SPME-GC-MS

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease, characterized by a decline in cognitive function with age. The published articles indicated that anthocyanins can effectively reverse the age-related defects, but the specific mechanism is still unclear. In this study, headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) were used to fingerprint the effect of anthocyanins on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in faeces and urine of AD model mice. One-way analysis of variance and partial least squares-discriminant analysis were performed to evaluate the difference in VOCs among the samples. Different groups of samples were identified and distinguished by GC-IMS and GC-MS, and the results showed that there were differences in the composition of VOCs. The contents of short-chain fatty acids (viz. acetic acid, butyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, valeric acid) in faecal samples of AD model group (P) were more than those in anthocyanin control group (A); similarly, the contents of methyl esters (viz. butanoic acid, methyl ester and phenylpropionic acid, methyl ester) in P group were also more than those in A group; meanwhile we found that the contents of ketones of acetoin and 5,9-undecadien-2-one, 6,10-dimethyl-, (E)- in faeces and ketones of 5-hepten-2-one, phenylacetone and 6-hepten-3-one, 4-methyl- detected in urine samples of P group were less than those in A group. Through the study of these VOCs, it can not only provide a good direction for the in-depth study of the specific mechanism of action of anthocyanins on AD but also is significant to the early diagnosis and treatment of AD.