Using Multiple Analytical Platforms to Investigate the Androgen Depletion Effects on Fecal Metabolites in a Mouse Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by circulating autoantibodies that deposit in target organs (e.g., kidneys), resulting in chronic inflammation and eventual destruction of the organ. SLE is much more prevalent in females than males in both humans and spontaneous mouse models of lupus, such as NZBxNZW F1 (BWF1) mice. Depleting androgens by castration dramatically increases the susceptibility of BWF1 male to lupus. We compared fecal metabolite profiles of castrated BWF1 (androgen-depleted) male, intact (androgen-replete) male, and female mice. Four analytical platforms were employed to study the profiles of polar metabolites in mouse feces collected from adult BWF1 mice, and a total of 435 metabolites was identified. Of these, the abundance levels of 72 metabolites were significantly different between castrated and intact male groups, and 63 metabolites were different between female and male groups. Pathway analysis indicated that the pathway differences between castrated and intact male mice closely resembled the pathway differences between female and intact male mice, suggesting that low levels of androgens, whether due to depletion (castrated male) or endogenous (female), are associated with multiple fecal metabolomic alterations, which could potentially affect SLE progression. Our findings demonstrate that analyzing fecal metabolites using multiple analytical platforms holds great promise for detecting metabolomic alterations in complex disease model systems.