Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38557648›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

Metabolomics approach for predicting stomach and colon contents in dead Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, Arctocephalus tropicalis, Lobodon carcinophaga and Ommatophoca rossii from sub-Antarctic region.

Mukhethwa Micheal Mphephu, Oyinlola Oluwunmi Olaokun, Caswell Mavimbela, Greg Hofmeyer, Monica Mwale, Nqobile Monate Mkolo

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Mukhethwa Micheal MphephuDepartment of Biology, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Oyinlola Oluwunmi OlaokunDepartment of Biology, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Caswell MavimbelaDepartment of Biology, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Greg HofmeyerPort Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld, Humewood, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-0283-6058
Monica MwaleSouth African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), National Zoological Garden, Pretoria, South Africa.
Nqobile Monate MkoloDepartment of Biology, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-3631-4522
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University · ZABayworld Centre for Research and Education · ZASouth African National Biodiversity Institute · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The dietary habits of seals play a pivotal role in shaping management and administration policies, especially in regions with potential interactions with fisheries. Previous studies have utilized various methods, including traditional approaches, to predict seal diets by retrieving indigestible prey parts, such as calcified structures, from intestines, feces, and stomach contents. Additionally, methods evaluating nitrogen and stable isotopes of carbon have been employed. The metabolomics approach, capable of quantifying small-scale molecules in biofluids, holds promise for specifying dietary exposures and estimating disease risk. This study aimed to assess the diet composition of five seal species-Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, Lobodon carcinophaga, Ommatophoca rossii, and Arctocephalus tropicalis 1 and 2-by analyzing stomach and colon contents collected from stranded dead seals at various locations. Metabolite concentrations in the seal stomach and colon contents were determined using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Among the colon and stomach contents, 29 known and 8 unknown metabolites were identified. Four metabolites (alanine, fumarate, lactate, and proline) from stomach contents and one metabolite (alanine) from colon contents showed no significant differences between seal species (p>0.05). This suggests that traces of these metabolites in the stomach and colon contents may be produced by the seals' gut microbiome or derived from other animals, possibly indicating reliance on fish caught at sea. Despite this insight, the cause of death for stranded seals remains unclear. The study highlights the need for specific and reliable biomarkers to precisely indicate dietary exposures across seal populations. Additionally, there is a call for the development of relevant metabolite and disease interaction networks to explore disease-related metabolites in seals. Ultimately, the metabolomic method employed in this study reveals potential metabolites in the stomach and colon contents of these seal species.

Indexed as

Fur SealsSeals, EarlessAlanineAnimalsAntarctic RegionsColonGastrointestinal ContentsStomachAlanine

Identifiers

PMID38557648
PMCPMC10984408
OpenAlexW4393393446

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.