GNPS - Untargeted metabolomics and stable isotope tracing with U-13C-labeled fiber in healthy and colitic mice

By fermenting dietary fiber, the gut microbiota supplies carbon to host epithelial cells in the form of short-chain fatty acids and other metabolic byproducts. To track the transfer of carbon from fiber to host tissues via the microbiota and more clearly define the molecules mediating this transfer, we conducted stable isotope tracing in mice with U-13C-labeled inulin followed by untargeted metabolomics by LC-MS. Additionally, we applied this labeling approach to mice with chemically induced colitis to examine how inflammation impacts carbon transfer from the microbiota to host tissues, which may aid in understanding the development of inflammatory bowel diseases.