APPLICATION OF LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY BASED UNTARGETED METABOLOMICS TO STUDY BIOMARKERS OF AGING AND DIETARY INTERVENTIONS

Abstract

Aging is a complicated phenomenon that often accompanies numerous diseases. It has been proposed that the aging process itself may be the underlying cause for these age-related conditions. Dietary interventions are proposed as one of the most effective and feasible ways to manage the aging process. In this work, we applied liquid chromatography mass spectrometry based untargeted metabolomics to explore biomarkers of aging and three dietary interventions, namely calorie-restriction, intermittent fasting and low carb-high fat diet. Using Sprague-Dawley rat as model organism; serum, urine, brain and heart samples have been analyzed, and differential metabolites and their biological relevance are studied through univariate and multivariate statistical methods. In a small pilot clinical study, human plasma samples of healthy subjects of various ages obtained from National University Hospital in Singapore have been studied as well.