Development of an extraction method for mycobacterial metabolome analysis

As a prerequisite for studying the intracellular metabolome of mycobacteria, several methods were evaluated for efficient breakage of the cell using Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) as a model microorganism. Several pulping methods, treating with an Ultra-Turax®, deep-freezing in liquid nitrogen followed by mechanical grinding, sonicating with probe head or cup horn and bead beating prior to solvent extraction were applied and compared. Gravimetry, electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry were used to analyze the extracts.All analytical methods prove that sonicating is superior to mechanical grinding of deep-frozen cells. Two methods indicated that sonicating with a probe head enhances the efficiency of cell disruption compared to sonicating with a cup horn. The highest extract yield and chemical diversity were achieved by a combination of mechanical grinding and sonicating.Within the scope of a metabolomic analysis, the method of choice to treat mycobacterial cells is a combination of deep-freezing in liquid nitrogen and mechanical grinding followed by sonicating with a probe head.