NMR metabolomic analysis of skeletal muscle, heart, and liver of hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (caretta caretta) experimentally exposed to crude oil and/or corexit
Abstract
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. We used nuclear magnetic
spectroscopy (NMR) to evaluate the metabolic impacts of crude oil, Corexit 5900A,
a dispersant, and a crude oil Corexit 5900A mixture exposure on skeletal muscle, heart,
and liver physiology of hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Tissue
samples were obtained from 22 seven-day-old hatchlings after a four day cutaneous
exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of crude oil, Corexit 5900A, a
combination of crude oil and Corexit 9500A, or a seawater control. We identified 38
metabolites in the aqueous extracts of the liver, and 30 metabolites in both the skeletal
and heart muscle aqueous extracts, including organic acids/osmolytes, energy compounds,
amino acids, ketone bodies, nucleosides, and nucleotides. Skeletal muscle lactate,
creatines, and taurine concentrations were significantly lower in hatchlings exposed
to crude oil than in control hatchlings. Lactate, taurine, and cholines appeared to
be the basis of some variation in hatchling heart samples, and liver inosine, uracil,
and uridine appeared to be influenced by Corexit and crude oil exposure. Observed
decreases in concentrations of lactate and creatines may reflect energy depletion
in skeletal muscle of oil-exposed animals, while decreased taurine concentrations
in these animals may reflect higher oxidative stress.
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18550Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3390/metabo9020021Publication Info
Bembenek-Bailey, SA; Niemuth, JN; McClellan-Green, PD; Godfrey, MH; Harms, CA; Gracz,
H; & Stoskopf, MK (2019). NMR metabolomic analysis of skeletal muscle, heart, and liver of hatchling loggerhead
sea turtles (caretta caretta) experimentally exposed to crude oil and/or corexit.
Metabolites, 9(2). pp. 21-21. 10.3390/metabo9020021. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18550.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Matthew H. Godfrey
Adjunct Associate Professor

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info