Apoptotic cells may release specific metabolites to act as messengers during the apoptotic process. This study represents the first attempt to identify potential apoptotic metabolites in postmortem muscle. Ninety potential apoptotic metabolites in beef were selected and analyzed through targeted metabolomics, with 84 of them exhibiting significant differences over the postmortem time. Following the addition of the mitochondria-targeted antiapoptotic agent mitoquinone to postmortem muscle, metabolomic analysis revealed that 73 apoptotic metabolites still underwent significant changes, even against the backdrop of altered apoptosis. Of these 73 apoptotic metabolites, 54 exhibited similar trends at various treatment times with adding mitoquinone, including lipids (6), amino acids (27), nucleosides (11), and carbohydrate and energy metabolism (10). Mitoquinone significantly reduced the levels of most apoptotic metabolites, and inhibition of apoptosis resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of numerous apoptotic metabolites. Consequently, these apoptotic metabolites are considered complementary to apoptosis in postmortem muscle, with their increased levels potentially promoting apoptosis. Noteworthy apoptotic metabolites, such as glycerol 3-phosphate, serine, AMP, ATP, GMP, and creatine, were identified as active signaling molecules that attract and recruit phagocytes during apoptosis, assisting in recognizing apoptotic cells by phagocytes. This study provides, for the first time, insights into potential apoptotic metabolites in postmortem muscle, contributing to a better understanding of meat biochemistry.

中文翻译：

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通过靶向代谢组学鉴定死后牛肉肌肉中潜在的凋亡代谢物

凋亡细胞可能会释放特定的代谢物，在凋亡过程中充当信使。这项研究代表了鉴定死后肌肉中潜在凋亡代谢物的首次尝试。通过靶向代谢组学选择和分析了牛肉中 90 种潜在的凋亡代谢物，其中 84 种在死后表现出显着差异。在死后肌肉中添加靶向线粒体的抗细胞凋亡剂线粒体醌后，代谢组学分析显示，即使在细胞凋亡改变的背景下，73 种细胞凋亡代谢物仍然发生显着变化。在这 73 种凋亡代谢物中，有 54 种在添加米托醌的不同处理时间表现出相似的趋势，包括脂质 (6)、氨基酸 (27)、核苷 (11) 以及碳水化合物和能量代谢 (10)。米托醌显着降低了大多数凋亡代谢物的水平，并且抑制凋亡导致许多凋亡代谢物的水平显着降低。因此，这些凋亡代谢物被认为是死后肌肉细胞凋亡的补充，其水平升高可能促进细胞凋亡。值得注意的凋亡代谢物，如 3-磷酸甘油、丝氨酸、AMP、ATP、GMP 和肌酸，被认为是在凋亡过程中吸引和招募吞噬细胞的活性信号分子，有助于吞噬细胞识别凋亡细胞。这项研究首次深入了解死后肌肉中潜在的细胞凋亡代谢物，有助于更好地了解肉类生物化学。