Metabolomic Analysis of Plasma from GABA(B(1)) Knock-Out Mice Reveals Decreased Levels of Elaidic Trans-Fatty Acid

Mice lacking the GABA(B(1)) subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B receptors exhibit spontaneous seizures, hyperalgesia, hyperlocomotor activity, and memory impairment. Although mice lacking the GABA(B(1)) subunit are viable, they are sterile, and to generate knockout (KO) mice, it is necessary to cross heterozygous (HZ) mice. The aim of our study was to detect the metabolic differences between the three genotypes of GABA(B(1)) KO mice in order to further characterize this experimental animal model. Plasma samples were collected from wild-type (WT), HZ, and KO mice. Samples were analyzed by means of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) platform. Univariate t-test, and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were performed to compare the metabolic pattern of different genotypes. The metabolomic analysis highlighted differences between the three genotypes and identified some metabolites less abundant in KO mice, namely elaidic acid and other fatty acids, and chiro-inositol.