Applications of fecal metabolomics for the study of stress and pregnancy
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Date
2020
Authors
Scott, Hannah Doris
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience
Abstract
The gut microbiota plays a substantial role in determining the health and
behaviour of an individual. The study of this interaction requires tools with a broad,
unbiased scope that can analyse both microbial and host activity; fecal metabolomics, the
analysis of small-molecule metabolites, is one such method. This thesis will explore
several considerations and applications of fecal metabolomics. First, a study comparing
methods of sample preparation for fecal metabolomics displays the efficacy of in silico
baseline correction combined with a Bligh-Dyer extraction technique. Next, the use of
fecal metabolomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveal no effect of prenatal stress on
the postpartum maternal gut microbiota. Finally, the clinical applications of
metabolomics is presented in a study displaying distinctions between the prenatal urinary
metabolomes of obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus, identifying biomarkers of risk.
These studies highlight the potential of fecal metabolomics in both research and clinical
settings.
Description
Keywords
fecal metabolomics , gut microbiota , stress and pregnancy , nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics , 16S rRNA analysis , Metabolites -- Research , Feces -- Microbiology -- Research , Gastrointestinal system -- Microbiology -- Research , Stress (Physiology) -- Research , Pregnancy -- Research , Magnetic resonance imaging , Biochemical markers -- Research , Dissertations, Academic