Alteration of urinary metabolic profile in rats treated with methylmercury

A metabolomic approach was used to detect changes in urinary metabolic profile of rats treated orally with methylmercury (MeHg), a ubiquitous fish contaminant with well known neurotoxic properties. An aliquot of urine was collected on day 14, extracted and the extract successively methoxymated and trimethylsilylated prior to analysis by GC/TOF-MS. Results indicate that several metabolic pathways were altered by MeHg treatment, including urea cycle, glutathione metabolism and amino acid degradation.