Metabolome Profiling of Fish Muscle Tissue Exposed to Benzo[α]pyrene Using in Vivo Solid-Phase Microextraction

In vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of endogenous compounds may depict changes in the biochemical pathways in organisms that have been affected by various stimuli such as environmental pollutants. In this paper, we use low-invasive in vivo SPME to analyze metabolic profile changes in the muscle tissue of living fish that have been exposed to benzo[alpha]pyrene (BaP). This study employs a case-control model with the fish divided into three groups: a control group, a low-dose group (1 ng/L BaP exposure), and a high-dose group (10 ng/L BaP exposure). SPME probes were used to analyze the effects of short-term (after 1 day) and long-term (after 14 days) exposure to the pollutant. SPME analysis of dose-dependent and time-dependent differences in metabolome between the groups revealed distinct BaP-altered signaling pathways, mainly involving amino acids, lipids, and the components of osmotic regulation in fish. However, after 14 days, the metabolic profile resembled the profile of the control group than it did the high-dose group. SPME provided important information about the exposome and potential biomarkers related to BaP exposure and could be used as a powerful tool for direct monitoring of the toxicological effects of contaminants in living systems.