Serum Metabolomic Profiling of Sulphur Mustard-Exposed Individuals Using 1HNuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Sulphur mustard is an alkylating agent that reacts with different cellular components, causing acute and delayed complications that may remain for decades after exposure. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed metabolites between mustard-exposed individuals suffering from chronic complications compared with unexposed individuals as the control group. Serum samples were obtained from 15 mustard-exposed individuals and 15 apparently healthy unexposed individuals. Metabolomic profiling was performed using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and analyses were carried out using Chenomex and MATLAB softwares. Metabolites were identified using Human Metabolome Database, and the main metabolic pathways were identified using MetaboAnalyst software. Chemometric analysis of serum samples identified 11 differentially expressed metabolites between mustard-exposed and unexposed groups. The main pathways that were influenced by sulphur mustard exposure were related to vitamin B6 (down-regulation), bile acid (up-regulation) and tryptophan (down-regulation) metabolism. Metabolism of vitamin B6, bile acids and tryptophan are the most severely impaired pathways in individuals suffering from chronic mustard-induced complications. These findings may find implications in the monitoring of exposed patients and identification of new therapeutic approaches.