Delineating lipidomic landscapes in human and mouse ovaries: Spatial signatures and chemically-induced alterations via MALDI mass spectrometry imaging: Spatial ovarian lipidomics

Natalia Pascuali, Fernando Tobias, Klara Valyi-Nagy, Sana Salih, Almudena Veiga-Lopez*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study addresses the critical gap in understanding the ovarian lipidome's abundance, distribution, and vulnerability to environmental disruptors, a largely unexplored field. Leveraging the capabilities of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI), we embarked on a novel exploration of the ovarian lipidome in both mouse and human healthy tissues. Our findings revealed that the obesogenic chemical tributyltin (TBT), at environmentally relevant exposures, exerts a profound and region-specific impact on the mouse ovarian lipidome. TBT exposure predominantly affects lipid species in antral follicles and oocytes, suggesting a targeted disruption of lipid homeostasis in these biologically relevant regions. Our comprehensive approach, integrating advanced lipidomic techniques and bioinformatic analyses, documented the disruptive effects of TBT, an environmental chemical, on the ovarian lipid landscape. Similar to mice, our research also unveiled distinct spatial lipidomic signatures corresponding to specific ovarian compartments in a healthy human ovary that may also be vulnerable to disruption by chemical exposures. Findings from this study not only underscore the vulnerability of the ovarian lipidome to environmental factors but also lay the groundwork for unraveling the molecular pathways underlying ovarian toxicity mediated through lipid dysregulation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number109174
JournalEnvironment international
Volume194
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

Funding

We would like to thank the technical help of the University of Illinois Research Histology and Tissue Imaging Core Facility and Dr. Yong Pu. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institute of Health (1R01ES035691 to A.V-L and P30ES027792). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Keywords

  • Chemical exposures
  • Lipidomics
  • MALDI MSI
  • Obesogens
  • Ovary

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Environmental Science

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