A multimodel metabolomics approach reveals the molecular effects of the most commonly consumed edible oils in China on physiological changes

China is one of the countries with the greatest consumption of edible oils, and eating habits affect health. The effects of the 4 most commonly consumed vegetable oils/animal fat with different fatty acid compositions on physiological changes were studied in a mouse model via a multimodel metabolomics approach in this work. An advanced platform combining liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and bioinformatics was utilized to study the differences in the lipids of oils. Subsequent multimodel metabolomics, including liver aqueous metabolomics, liver lipidomics, and desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry imaging analysis combined with biochemical assays and histological studies, revealed the shared and distinct physiological changes caused by the oils at the molecular level. Phenotypiccally, lard feeding resulted in the smallest weight gain, with no corresponding triglyceride accumulation in the plasma. The sunflowerseed oil- and rapeseed oil-fed treatments significantly increased plasma lactate and lactate dehydrogenase levels. Consumption of all the types of oil/fat demonstrated a trend of increasing plasma alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels. The palm oil-fed treatment affected the fewest biochemical indicators. At the metabolomic level, lard-fed treatment suggested a carnitine-related increase in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, an increase in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the inhibition of glycolysis, while the rapeseed oil-fed treatment markedly upregulated purine metabolism. Lard-fed treatment upregulated glutamate levels and downregulated the levels of glutathione (GSH) indirect precursor substances acetylglycine and dimethylglycine, whereas treatment with other vegetable oils upregulated glutamine or the GSH precursor substances. From the perspective of lipidomics, vegetable oil treatments promoted triglyceride and diglyceride accumulation in the liver. Comsuption of lard showed a trend of adjusting the abnormal metabolism of lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylglycerol. All the oil/fat-fed treatments reduced the levels of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholines, and phosphatidylethanolamine. The changes in the metabolomics and lipidomics affected oxidative homeostasis, with the consumption of lard and rapeseed oil showing the most significant negative impact on the redex index. The present study can provide a reference for the nutritional evaluation of edible oils.