Hepatic Metabolomic Investigation of the North American Black Bear
(Ursus americanus) Using 1
H-NMR Spectroscopy
J.N. Niemuth1,2,* & M.K. Stoskopf1,2
1 Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State University, 3120 Jordan
Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA.
2 Environmental Medicine Consortium, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary
Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607 USA.
* Corresponding author: College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William
Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607 USA; e-mail: jennifer_niemuth@ncsu.edu.
Keywords
Metabolomics;
North American black bear;
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Spectroscopy;
NMR;
Ursus americanus.
Abstract
The growing field of metabolomics examines the end products of
metabolism, metabolites, to determine physiological processes at a
cellular level. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy affords
advantages such as noninvasive sample collection, minimal or no sample
preparation, and conservation of samples. The objectives of this study were
to determine the feasibility of NMR-based metabolomics as a screening tool
for evaluating changes in North American black bear (Ursus americanus)
metabolism utilizing samples from hunter-killed specimens and to evaluate
baseline metabolic profiles for free-ranging black bear. Hepatic samples
were collected from 14 legally, hunter-killed black bears. The samples were
frozen, homogenized, and extracted. 1
H-NMR spectra were collected and
analyzed. Over 30 metabolites were identified, including those involved
with protein, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism. Principal components
analysis demonstrated a separation among the bears by general age groups,
based on differences in several energy and amino acid biomarkers, as well
as lactate. This difference may be due to variation in growth and body
composition with age. Samples from hunter-killed bears were suitable
for NMR-based metabolomics suggesting the use of these techniques is a
practical approach for identifying components of black bear metabolism.
Table 1: Signalment and approximate time to sampling for liver samples from 12 legally, hunter-killed
black bears in North Carolina, USA
