Molecular cartography in acute Chlamydia pneumoniae infections—a non-targeted metabolomics approach

• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-6732-5
• Publication Date: 2013-01-26T08:27:19Z
• Authors: Constanze Müller; Inga Dietz; Dimitrios Tziotis; Franco Moritz; Jan Rupp; Philippe Schmitt-...
• Keywords: Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Biomarker Discovery

Infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae cause several respiratory diseases, such as community-acquired pneumonia, bronchitis or sinusitis. Here, we present an integrated non-targeted metabolomics analysis applying ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry and ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to determine metabolite alterations in C. pneumoniae-infected HEp-2 cells. Most important permutations are elaborated using uni- and multivariate statistical analysis, logD retention time regression and mass defect-based network analysis. Classes of metabolites showing high variations upon infection are lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids. Moreover, we observed several non-annotated compounds as predominantly abundant after infection, which are promising biomarker candidates for drug-target and diagnostic research.