Metabolic and Lipid Alterations in Mice Brain Cortex after PM_2.5 Exposure

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been reported to be associated with neurological disorders. However, the effects of PM_2.5 on changes in metabolic and lipid profile of the brain are unclear. In this study, global metabolomics and lipidomics in mice cortex were investigated from the analyses by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The partial least-squares discriminant analysis showed that the metabolite and lipid profiles were significantly altered by PM_2.5 exposure. The changed metabolic pathways including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, carnitine metabolism, and glycerophospholipid remodeling pathway were found to be associated with a neurodegenerative process according to their corresponding molecular mechanisms. Our results indicated that PM_2.5 exposure could induce neurological damage.