In vivo 31P and 1H HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy analysis of the unstarved Aporrectodea caliginosa (Lumbricidae)

This study demonstrates that P-31 and H-1 high resolution- magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a recently developed NMR technique, can be applied to the in vivo analysis of metabolites from an unstarved earthworm. The endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa was cut into lengths and then the different body parts (anterior, middle, posterior) with the gut content were analyzed. With the HR-MAS NMR, metabolites show well-resolved signals, whereas, with conventional NMR, spectra are highly dependent on the gut content. P-31 HR-MAS NMR has been used to evaluate the effect of an acute exposure of the earthworm to glyphosate. Our observations support a low toxicity of the herbicide and suggest that glyphosate could be trapped in the cutaneous mucus. Earthworms could therefore play a role in horizontal dispersion and stabilization of glyphosate in the drilosphere. Phosphorylated metabolites, such as phospholombricine and lombricine, were clearly identified and their amount measured during experiments. The H-1 HR-MAS NMR method offers the opportunity to measure, on the same sample and simultaneously, both the hydrosoluble metabolites and lipids. The data on lipid location and relative succinate concentration shed light on the physiological and metabolic functions of the different body parts of the earthworm.