Redox-active metals like copper and iron are essential for function. Disruption of their homeostasis and availability can lead to oxidative stress and imbalances. Deficiencies and overloads of these metals have been linked to the onset and progression of metabolic disorders, including diabetes and liver dysfunction. The context in which a metal resides within a biological environment significantly influences its activity and function. Recent years have seen a rise in tools for monitoring metal ions and have illuminated the diversity in metal speciation in biology, but many of these tools are focused on probing metals in the intracellular space. The state-of-the-art methods for assessing metal status in extracellular fluids such as blood plasma focus either on absolute quantitation or evaluate a limited number of metal-containing species. While these methods have offered important insight into extreme cases of metal deficiency or overload, subtle imbalances are more challenging to diagnose and understand with the available methods. This talk describes our efforts to expand on our understanding of metal biochemistry in the extracellular environment. In particular, we discuss new methods and approaches towards profiling extracellular metals and the implications of these findings in the diagnosis and therapeutic strategies in obesity-associated metabolic disorders.

Profiling bioavailable metals in the extracellular space towards biomarker discovery for metabolic disorders

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.