# Comprehensive Determination of Isoprostanoid Metabolism

> **NIH NIH R21** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $303,765

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Oxidative stress (OxS) is a biochemical process that leads to damage of cellular lipids when endogenous
redox homeostasis is disrupted. OxS is mechanistically linked with the physiology of aging and age-related
diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, cancer, frailty, diabetes, and SARS-CoV-2. The
identification of biomarkers to measure OxS is thus of significant public health revelance in order to better
understand disease mechanisms and target potential therapies. F2-Isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) are formed from
the oxidation of the cellular lipid arachidonic acid and considered to be excellent biomarkers of OxS. Currently,
F2- IsoPs are being used as outcome measures in more than 80 active clinical trials worldwide. Further, the
NIA- sponsored Interventions Testing Program (ITP) has identified nine agents that significantly increase
lifespan, and four of those agents are known to decrease F2-IsoPs. While F2-IsoPs have proven to be useful
biomarkers of OxS, our laboratory has obtained evidence to support the hypothesis that metabolites of F2-
IsoPs more accurately reflect endogenous OxS than unmetabolized F2-IsoPs in certain biological settings. Yet,
F2-IsoP metabolites are rarely quantified in clinical studies. F2-IsoP-like molecules (F-isoprostanoids) are
made from the oxidation of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including adrenic, eicosapentaenoic
(EPA), and docosahexaenoic acids. These compounds are proving to be useful biomarkers in
neurodegenerative conditions and age-related macular degeneration, but their metabolism has never been
studied. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that understanding the metabolism of F-isoprostanoids is
critical for the accurate and complete quantitation of these urinary biomarkers in aging and OxS-related
diseases. In Specific Aim 1, we will use human liver microsomes to identify metabolites of several F-
isoprosatnoid isomers generated from the free radical oxidation of PUFA. Metabolites will be identified using
mass spectrometry (MS). In Specific Aim 2, we will establish and validate a robust LC/MS method for the
quantification of F-isoprostanoid metabolites, from Specific Aim 1, in human urine. For this purpose, we will
utilize urine samples from The Fatty Acid Desaturase Activity, Fish Oil, and Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Study (FnADAFO), a randomized clinical trial that was completed in 2018 at Vanderbilt. Subjects recruited in
this study were supplemented with olive oil or marine fish oil for six months, so these urine samples are ideal
for validation of this metabolite quantification. We anticipate that the completion of this application will redefine
our understanding F2-IsoP metabolism and, for the first time, define a strategy to comprehensively assess this
important biomarker of lipid peroxidation. Overall, these studies will change how the field evaluates
endogenous OxS and lipid peroxidation, thus setting the stage for future applications examining...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10809491
- **Project number:** 1R21AG081823-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Ginger Lohr Milne
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $303,765
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-23 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10809491

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10809491, Comprehensive Determination of Isoprostanoid Metabolism (1R21AG081823-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10809491. Licensed CC0.

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