Metabolic profile of irradiated whole blood by chemical isotope-labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Irradiated blood is a new type of blood product used to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease. However, the effects of irradiation on the metabolism of plasma, red blood cells (RBCs), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are largely unknown. We developed a workflow for testing metabolic changes in whole blood to determine the impact of irradiation by chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (CIL LC-MS). Blood parameters, PBMC proliferation and apoptosis were examined before and after irradiation. Next, the amine/phenol metabolites in the blood components were assayed by C-12- and C-13-dansylation labeling LC-MS. We identified 1654, 1730, and 1666 peak pairs in plasma, RBCs, and PBMCs, respectively. We screened out 367, 177, and 219 significant metabolites in plasma, RBCs, and PBMCs, respectively, by principle component analyses, volcano plots, and Venn plots. Metabolic pathway analyses showed that irradiation modulated taurine and hypotaurine metabolism in plasma and purine metabolism in RBCs and PBMCs. Changes in potential biomarkers, including an increase in hypoxanthine level and a decrease in adenine level, may be related to the dysfunction of DNA synthesis in PBMCs. The decreased AMP level in RBCs may interfere with RBC storage lesions. Our research provides a more comprehensive perspective on blood metabolism associated with irradiation. Crown Copyright (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study developed a workflow to investigate the metabolic changes in blood components after irradiation, identifying specific metabolites and pathways affected by irradiation. The results showed modulation of taurine and hypotaurine metabolism in plasma, as well as purine metabolism in RBCs and PBMCs. These findings offer insights into the impact of irradiation on blood metabolism.