Metabolomic Strategy for the Detection of Metabolic Effects of Spermine Supplementation in Weaned Rats

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of spermine supplementation on weaned rat metabolism. A metabolomic strategy employing high-resolution H-1 NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis was used to investigate rat biological responses to spermine ingestion. Rats received intragastric administration of either 0.2 or 0.4 mu mol/g body weight of spermine or saline for 3 days. Plasma samples taken 48 h after the last spermine ingestion were analyzed. Spermine supplementation significantly increased the plasma levels of 1-methylhistidine, 3-hydroxybutyrate, alanine, glutamate, glycerolphosphocholine, phosphorylcholine, myo-inositol, phenylalanine, lysine, glutamine, trimethylanine, tyrosine, valine, formate, glucose, and lipids. These results suggest that spermine ingestion can alter common systemic metabolic processes, including cell membrane metabolism, lipid metabolism, glucose-alanine cycle metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and gut microbiota metabolism. This study also shows the important role of spermine administration in modulating the metabolism of weaned rats.