An NMR-based metabonomic approach to the investigation of coelomic fluid biochemistry in earthworms under toxic stress

The endogenous metabolites of the coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia veneta were characterised using high-resolution one-dimensional and two-dimensional H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Signals from common organic acids, such as acetate, fumarate, malonate, malate, formate, and succinate, mere identified together with adenosine and nicotinamide mononucleotide, The potential use of this information as a baseline dataset for future toxicological or physiological studies was demonstrated by a metabonomic analysis: a series of earthworms were dosed,vith the model compound 3-fluoro-4-nitrophenol, and toxic effects followed by multivariate analysis of the spectral data of the coelomic fluid. Relative concentrations of acetate and malonate were decreased in the dosed worms compared to the controls, (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.