Use of Metallomics and Metabolomics to Assess Metal Pollution in Doñana National Park (SW Spain)

A study employing metallomics and metabolomics reveals significant differences in metal pollution impacts on the ecosystem of Doñana National Park (DNP), SW Spain. The research, using the mouse Mus spretus as a model organism, demonstrates that metal contamination in DNP and its surrounding areas (El Partido and El Matochal) affects levels of metals and metalloproteins such as MT, Cu/Zn-SOD, or Mn-CA, disrupts membrane phospholipids, and alters metabolic pathways related to energy metabolism and oxidative stress. The approach involved size exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) for metallomics and direct infusion to a mass spectrometer (DI-ESI-QTOF-MS) for metabolomics, followed by partial linear square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Additionally, the activities of key antioxidant enzymes were assessed, providing insights into the biological response to environmental contamination.

García-Sevillano, M. A., García-Barrera, T., Navarro, F., Abril, N., Pueyo, C., López-Barea, J., & Gómez-Ariza, J. L. (2014). Use of Metallomics and Metabolomics to Assess Metal Pollution in Doñana National Park (SW Spain). Environmental Science & Technology, 48(14), 7747–7755. https://doi.org/10.1021/es4057938