Metabolomic Analysis Reveal the metabolic physiology of Evisceration Behavior in Apostichopus japonicus

In this study, Ultraperformance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was performed on the coelomic fluids of evisceration and normal sea cucumbers to detect the change of metabolites and metabolic pathways in the process of evisceration behavior. In total, 9 increased and 11 decreased metabolites were identified from the eviscerated coelomic fluids of sea cucumbers. These metabolites included phosphatidylethanolamine, glucosylceramide, L-tryptophan, carbamic acid, cyclohexylamine and so on. In addition, 5 significant changed signaling pathways are also acquired from the enrichment of metabolic pathway analyses, and they are “GPI-anchor biosynthesis”, “Regulation of autophagy”, “Sphingolipid metabolism”, “Nitrogen metabolism”, and “Phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis”. These results first presented valuable data of potential physiological mechanisms underlying evisceration behavior of <i>A. japonicus</i>, which would have important implications for the aquaculture and transportation of sea cucumbers.