Research provides understanding of EGME's effects on metabolism

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in global metabolism, biomarker discovery and analysis, announces the publication of "Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-Induced Toxicity is Mediated through the Inhibition of Flavoprotein Dehydrogenase Enzyme Family", in the journal Toxicological Sciences on July 8, 2010. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Makoto Takei and colleagues at Daiichi-Sankyo in collaboration with Metabolon scientists.

“Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-Induced Toxicity is Mediated through the Inhibition of Flavoprotein Dehydrogenase Enzyme Family”

Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) is a widely used industrial solvent that causes hematological, neurological, immunological and reproductive damage as well as other adverse effects in humans and other mammals. Tissues and organs with rapidly dividing cells and high rates of metabolism, such as the testes and thymus, are especially sensitive to EGME. Metabolon's biochemical profiling technology was used to gain a mechanistic understanding of EGME's effects on metabolism. The untargeted metabolomic analysis of serum, urine, liver and testes collected from EGME-treated rats revealed biochemical profiles similar to biochemical signatures observed in humans with multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD), an inborn error of metabolism. Based on the biochemical analysis the authors propose the mode of action of EGME-induced toxicity is mediated through the inhibition of primary flavoprotein dehydrogenases.