Abstract
Chronic toxicity tests provide information about effects on reproduction, but require considerable time and expense. In recent years, metabolomics has been used to predict the effects of contaminants on the reproductive output of organisms. The objective of this study was to predict toxic effects on the estuarine amphipod, Grandidierella japonica, using a model based on metabolic profiles. Metabolomes were extracted from surviving, laboratory-cultured G. japonica exposed to 25, 100, and 250 μg/L copper solution for 10 and 28 days. These metabolic profiles were obtained using an Orbitrap mass spectrometer (Orbitrap MS). Partial least squares regression models showed that metabolic profiles obtained after a 10-day exposure can predict the effect of copper on reproduction after a 28-day exposure. We demonstrated that metabolomic analyses of the estuarine amphipod G. japonica with Orbitrap MS can predict chronic toxicity effects.
