Lipidomic characterisation discovery for coronary heart disease diagnosis based on high-throughput ultra-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

Lipid alterations in acute myocardial infarction are associated with gut microbiota

Although lipid metabolism and gut microbiota dysregulation are known to participate in cardiovascular disease, few studies have examined these alterations and associations in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. This study reveals altered and associated lipid metabolism and gut microbiome based on proteomic and lipidomic analyses of fecal and plasma samples from 30 patients with AMI and 33 healthy volunteers. Twenty-three differential plasma lipids, nine altered fecal lipids, and nine differential fecal bacterial species were identified in AMI patients relative to healthy volunteers, with nine plasma lipids, three fecal lipids, and two fecal bacteria as potential biomarkers. Correlation analysis revealed that the abundances of Stenotrophomonas and Bilophila were positively correlated with sphingosine and ceramide levels, respectively. Alistipes indistinctus and Porphyromonas were correlated with blood lipid indicators (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein-C), and A. indistinctus, Bilophila, and Stenotrophomonas were associated with myocardial injury indicators (cTnI, CK, CK-MB, LDH, and BNP). This study identified potential lipid and gut microbe biomarkers and their associations in AMI patients.IMPORTANCEAcute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While lipid metabolism and gut microbiota are known to play important roles in cardiovascular diseases, their interactions in the context of AMI are not fully understood. In this study, we explore the lipidomic and microbiome alterations in AMI patients, identifying key biomarkers associated with myocardial injury. By correlating specific lipid changes with bacterial species in fecal samples, we highlight the potential of lipid-microbe interactions in the pathogenesis of AMI. These findings provide novel insights into the complex mechanisms underlying AMI and suggest potential targets for early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions aimed at modulating lipid and microbial profiles to improve patient outcomes.

Chinmedomics: a potent tool for the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine efficacy and identification of its active components

As an important part of medical science, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) attracts much public attention due to its multi-target and multi-pathway characteristics in treating diseases. However, the limitations of traditional research methods pose a dilemma for the evaluation of clinical efficacy, the discovery of active ingredients and the elucidation of the mechanism of action. Therefore, innovative approaches that are in line with the characteristics of TCM theory and clinical practice are urgently needed. Chinmendomics, a newly emerging strategy for evaluating the efficacy of TCM, is proposed. This strategy combines systems biology, serum pharmacochemistry of TCM and bioinformatics to evaluate the efficacy of TCM with a holistic view by accurately identifying syndrome biomarkers and monitoring their complex metabolic processes intervened by TCM, and finding the agents associated with the metabolic course of pharmacodynamic biomarkers by constructing a bioinformatics-based correlation network model to further reveal the interaction between agents and pharmacodynamic targets. In this article, we review the recent progress of Chinmedomics to promote its application in the modernisation and internationalisation of TCM.

Predictive biomarkers for the early detection and management of heart failure

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a serious public health concern whose incidence has been on a rise and is projected by the World Health Organization to be the leading global cause of mortality by 2030. Heart failure (HF) is a complicated syndrome resulting from various CVDs of heterogeneous etiologies and exhibits varying pathophysiology, including activation of inflammatory signaling cascade, apoptosis, fibrotic pathway, and neuro-humoral system, thereby leading to compromised cardiac function. During this process, several biomolecules involved in the onset and progression of HF are released into circulation. These circulating biomolecules could serve as unique biomarkers for the detection of subclinical changes and can be utilized for monitoring disease severity. Hence, it is imperative to identify these biomarkers to devise an early predictive strategy to stop the deterioration of cardiac function caused by these complex cellular events. Furthermore, measurement of multiple biomarkers allows clinicians to divide HF patients into sub-groups for treatment and management based on early health outcomes. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of current omics platform available for discovering biomarkers for HF management. Some of the existing and novel biomarkers for the early detection of HF with special reference to endothelial biology are also discussed.

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics for discovering active ingredients and exploring action mechanism of herbal medicine

Natural products derived from herbal medicine are a fruitful source of lead compounds because of their structural diversity and potent bioactivities. However, despite the success of active compounds derived from herbal medicine in drug discovery, some approaches cannot effectively elucidate the overall effect and action mechanism due to their multi-component complexity. Fortunately, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics has been recognized as an effective strategy for revealing the effect and discovering active components, detailed molecular mechanisms, and multiple targets of natural products. Rapid identification of lead compounds and isolation of active components from natural products would facilitate new drug development. In this context, mass spectrometry-based metabolomics has established an integrated pharmacology framework for the discovery of bioactivity-correlated constituents, target identification, and the action mechanism of herbal medicine and natural products. High-throughput functional metabolomics techniques could be used to identify natural product structure, biological activity, efficacy mechanisms, and their mode of action on biological processes, assisting bioactive lead discovery, quality control, and accelerating discovery of novel drugs. These techniques are increasingly being developed in the era of big data and use scientific language to clarify the detailed action mechanism of herbal medicine. In this paper, the analytical characteristics and application fields of several commonly used mass spectrometers are introduced, and the application of mass spectrometry in the metabolomics of traditional Chinese medicines in recent years and its active components as well as mechanism of action are also discussed.

SiO2@Au nanoshell-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for coronary heart disease diagnosis

Cardiovascular diseases have threatened human health, amongst which coronary heart disease (CHD) is the third most common cause of death. CHD is considered to be a metabolic disease; however, there is little research on the CHD metabolism. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) has enabled the development of a suitable nanomaterial that can be used to obtain considerable high-quality metabolic information without complex pretreatment of biological fluid samples. This study combines SiO₂@Au nanoshells with minute plasma to obtain metabolic fingerprints of CHD. The thickness of the SiO₂@Au shell was also optimized to maximize the laser desorption/ionization effect. The results demonstrated 84% sensitivity at 85% specificity for distinguishing CHD patients from controls in the validation cohort.

Landscape of lipidomics in cardiovascular medicine from 2012 to 2021: A systematic bibliometric analysis and literature review

Lipidomics has shaped our knowledge of how lipids play a central role in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), whereas there is a lack of a summary of existing research findings. This study performed a bibliometric analysis of lipidomics research in cardiovascular medicine to reveal the core countries, institutions, key researchers, important references, major journals, research hotspots and frontiers in this field. From 2012 to 2021, a total of 761 articles were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database. There is a steady increase of publications yearly. The United States and China are on the top of the list regarding article output. The institutions with the most publications were the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Harvard Medical School. Peter J Meikle was both the most published and most co-cited author. The major journal in this field is Journal of lipid research. Keyword co-occurrence analysis indicated that coronary heart disease, mass spectrometry, risk, fatty acid, and insulin resistance have become hot topics in this field and keyword burst detection suggests that metabolomics, activation, liver, low density lipoprotein are the frontiers of research in recent years. Collectively, lipidomics in CVD is still in its infancy with a steady increase yearly. More in-depth studies in this area are warranted in the future.

Therapeutic effect and mechanism of danshensu on coronary heart disease using liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry metabolomics

Metabolomics can discover the biomarkers and metabolic pathways, provides the possibility for insights into the pharmacological action and mechanism of natural products. The therapeutic effect and mechanism of danshensu (DSS) on total metabolic pathways has not been well investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the disturbed endogenous biomarkers and metabolic pathways reflecting the pharmacological activity of DSS, and mechanism of action of DSS using comprehensive metabolome analysis based on high-throughput metabolomics technology combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with quadrupole tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) and pattern recognition method. Through the changes of the overall metabolic profile and the related biomarkers, the intervention effect of natural product danshensu (DSS) treatment on CHD model rats was revealed. The results showed that after the model replication was established, the metabolic profile was clearly separated, and a total of 26 potential biomarkers were screened out, and involving 8 metabolic pathways. After different doses of DSS solution were given, a total of 20 biomarkers could be significantly regulated, mainly involving primary bile acid biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and lipid metabolism. It showed UPLC-MS-based metabolomics can be used for discovering potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways of CHD, and to further understand and dissecting pharmacological effects and mechanisms of natural products via metabolomics techniques.

The anticardiac fibrosis of total alkaloids of Plumula nelumbinis by regulating circulating lipidomic profile: In vivo study

Plumula nelumbinis has great medicinal potential as a herbal tea and traditional drug in China. This study was aimed to evaluate the anticardiac fibrosis of the total alkaloids of P. nelumbinis (TAP). TAP at 50 mg/kg/day significantly ameliorated isoproterenol-induced cardiac fibrosis in mice (p < .05). The circulating lipidomics study revealed that TAP improved the lipid metabolism dysfunction in cardiac fibrosis. Meanwhile, TAP suppressed the lipid accumulation, decreased MDA level (p < .01) in heart, and increased FFA level (p < .01). Furthermore, integrating lipidomics, chemical profiles and pharmacology network analysis found that AMPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways were the potential targeted pathway by TAP to regulate lipid metabolism dysfunction including glycerophospholipid metabolism. Above all, TAP provided a potential anticardiac fibrosis effect partly through regulation of lipid profiles. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The total alkaloids of Plumula nelumbinis (TAP) suppressed ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis in mice. Network pharmacology analysis and experiments revealed that TAP-regulated AMPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to improve lipid metabolism disorder in cardiac fibrosis. This study provides evidence to the therapeutic potential of TAP in the treatment of ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis and could be a drug candidate for prevention and treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

A Hypothesis From Metabolomics Analysis of Diabetic Retinopathy: Arginine-Creatine Metabolic Pathway May Be a New Treatment Strategy for Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the serious complications of diabetes, which the leading causes of blindness worldwide, and its irreversibility renders the existing treatment methods unsatisfactory. Early detection and timely intervention can effectively reduce the damage caused by diabetic retinopathy. Metabolomics is a branch of systems biology and a powerful tool for studying pathophysiological processes, which can help identify the characteristic metabolic changes marking the progression of diabetic retinopathy, discover potential biomarkers to inform clinical diagnosis and treatment. This review provides an update on the known metabolomics biomarkers of diabetic retinopathy. Through comprehensive analysis of biomarkers, we found that the arginine biosynthesis is closely related to diabetic retinopathy. Meanwhile, creatine, a metabolite with arginine as a precursor, has attracted our attention due to its important correlation with diabetic retinopathy. We discuss the possibility of the arginine-creatine metabolic pathway as a therapeutic strategy for diabetic retinopathy.

Identification of key lipid metabolites during metabolic dysregulation in the diabetic retinopathy disease mouse model and efficacy of Keluoxin capsule using an UHPLC-MS-based non-targeted lipidomics approach

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important complication of diabetes, and is currently the main cause of blindness among young adults in the world. Previous studies have shown that Keluoxin (KLX) capsules have a significant effect on DR in C57BL/KsJ/db-/- mice (db/db mice), however the unclear mechanism limits its further clinical application and actual value. Further research is urgently needed for the treatment of DR disease. Discovery of key lipid biomarkers and metabolic pathways can reveal and explore the molecular mechanisms related to DR development and discover the effect of Keluoxin (KLX) capsule against DR in db/db mice. Lipidomics has been used for characterizing the pathological conditions via identification of key lipid metabolites and the metabolic pathway. In this study, the high-throughput lipidomics using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis, querying multiple network databases and employing ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) method for molecular target prediction. A total of 30 lipid biomarkers were identified and 7 metabolic pathways including arachidonic acid metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis were found. The preventive effect of KLX intervention can regulate 22 biomarkers such as LysoPA(16:0/0:0), prostaglandin D2, cortisol and γ-linolenic acid, etc. IPA platform has predicted that PI3K/MAPK pathway are closely related to DR development. It also showed that high-throughput lipidomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis could deep excavate of the biological significance of the big data, and can provide molecular targets information about the disease treatment.

A high-throughput and untargeted lipidomics approach reveals new mechanistic insight and the effects of salvianolic acid B on the metabolic profiles in coronary heart disease rats using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

High-throughput lipidomics provides the possibility for the development of new therapeutic drugs. Accordingly, herein, we reveal the protective role of salvianolic acid B (Sal B) in rats with coronary heart disease (CHD) and propose a new mechanism for its action through a high-throughput and non-targeted lipidomics strategy. A CHD animal model was induced by consecutive high-fat diet feeding with vitamin D3 injection. At the end of the 8th week, the serum sample was analyzed to explore the metabolic biomarker and pathway changes using untargeted lipidomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS). In addition, blood and heart tissue samples were collected and processed for the detection of biochemical indicators and liver histological observation. After salvianolic acid B treatment, the levels of LDH, CK, CK-MB, MYO, CTn1, TG, TC, LDL-c, and Apo(b) were significantly lower than that in the model group, while the levels of HDL-c and Apo(a1) were significantly higher than that in the model group. Furthermore, the histological features of fibrosis and steatosis were also evidently relieved in the model group. A total of twenty-six potential biomarkers were identified to express the lipid metabolic turbulence in the CHD animal models, of which twenty-two were regulated by salvianolic acid B trending to the normal state, including TG(20:0/20:4/o-18:0), PC(20:4/18:1(9Z)), PC(18:3/20:2), PA(18:0/18:2), LysoPE(18:2/0:0), SM(d18:0/22:1), PE(22:6/0:0), LysoPE (20:4/0:0), sphinganine, Cer(d18:0/18:0), PS(14:0/14:1), PC (18:0/16:0), LysoPC(17:0), PE(22:2/20:1), PC(20:3/20:4), PE(20:4/P-16:0), PS(20:3/18:0), cholesterol sulfate, TG(15:0/22:6/18:1), prostaglandin E2, arachidonic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate. According to the metabolite enrichment and pathway analyses, the pharmacological activity of salvianolic acid B on CHD is mainly involved in three vital metabolic pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism. Thus, based on the lipidomics-guided biochemical analysis of the lipid biomarkers and pathways, Sal B protects against CHD with good therapeutic effect by regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism, inhibiting oxidative stress damage and lipid peroxidation.

High-throughput lipidomics provides the possibility for the development of new therapeutic drugs.

Regulation of serum lipidomics and amino acid profiles of rats with acute myocardial ischemia by Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng herb pair

BACKGROUND

Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng herb pair (DQ) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for a long history to prevent and treat the coronary heart disease. However, its protective mechanisms against myocardial ischemia during coronary heart disease remain not well-understood.

PURPOSE

In this study, we aimed to explore the protective mechanisms of DQ on myocardial ischemia from the perspective of serum lipidomics and amino acids (AAs).

METHODS

Rats were orally administrated with low-dose DQ (L-DQ, 0.24 g/kg) and high-dose DQ (H-DQ, 0.96 g/kg) for two weeks and subcutaneously injected with isoproterenol (ISO, 65 mg/kg) for two consecutive days (13th and 14th days) to induce acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). Heart histopathology and serum biochemical indices were examined. The specifically altered serum lipid metabolites were profiled via lipidomics approach, while serum AA profiles were analyzed using UHPLC-TQ-MS/MS.

RESULTS

Cardiac marker enzymes (CK, CK-MB, LDH and cTn-I) were significantly upregulated in AMI rats with some of which significantly dropped to normal level in L- and H-DQ groups. Serum TC, TG, HDL, LDL, VLDL and FFA were improved in AMI rats treatment with L- and H-DQ. Further, the PCA based on lipidomics showed serum lipid metabolites in L- and H-DQ groups were closer to control group than that in model group. Compared with model group, H-DQ pretreatment significantly reduced SM (d34:1) and CE (20:4), and increased FA (20:5), PC (26:1), TG (56:9), TG (54:7), MG (17:0), Cer (d32:0) and Cer (d34:0), whereas L-DQ significantly alleviated the perturbed levels of CE (20:4), FA (20:5), MG (17:0), and SM (d34:1). Moreover, there was a significant increment for leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, lysine and glutamate but a significant reduction for tryptophan in the serum of rats in model group as compared to control group. Intriguingly, H-DQ could significantly decrease the levels of glutamate, lysine, isoleucine, and BCAAs (the sum of leucine, isoleucine and valine) after AMI, while L-DQ had no significant effects on the above altered AAs. The Western blotting results implied that H-DQ could promote the myocardial BCAA catabolism in AMI rats by activation of BCKDHA, whereas by inhibition of BCKDHK.

CONCLUSION

This study presents evidence for the therapeutic effects of DQ on AMI injury, in part, via co-regulating lipid and AA metabolisms.

High-throughput lipidomics analysis to discover lipid biomarkers and profiles as potential targets for evaluating efficacy of Kai-Xin-San against APP/PS1 transgenic mice based on UPLC-Q/TOF-MS

Lipid metabolism has a significant function in the central nervous system and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related senile disease characterized by central nerve degeneration. The pathological development of AD is closely related to lipid metabolism disorders. To reveal the influence of Kai-Xin-San (KXS) on lipid metabolism in APP/PSI transgenic mice and potential therapeutic targets for treating AD, brain tissue samples were collected and analyzed by high-throughput lipidomics based on UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. The collected raw data were processed by multivariate data analysis to discover the potential biomarkers and lipid metabolic profiles. Compared with the control wild-type mouse group, nine potential lipid biomarkers were found in the AD model group, of which seven were up-regulated and two were down-regulated. Orally administrated KXS can reverse the changes in these potential biomarkers. Compared with the model group, a total of six differential metabolites showed a recovery trend and may be potential targets for KXS to treat AD. This study showed that high-throughput lipidomics can be used to discover the perturbed pathways and lipid biomarkers as potential targets to reveal the therapeutic effects of KXS.

Integration of lipidomics and metabolomics for in-depth understanding of cellular mechanism and disease progression

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based omics technologies are now widely used to profile small molecules in multiple matrices to confer comprehensive snapshots of cellular metabolic phenotypes. The metabolomes of cells, tissues, and organisms comprise a variety of molecules including lipids, amino acids, sugars, organic acids, and so on. Metabolomics mainly focus on the hydrophilic classes, while lipidomics has emerged as an independent omics owing to the complexities of the organismal lipidomes. The potential roles of lipids and small metabolites in disease pathogenesis have been widely investigated in various human diseases, but system-level understanding is largely lacking, which could be partly attributed to the insufficiency in terms of metabolite coverage and quantitation accuracy in current analytical technologies. While scientists are continuously striving to develop high-coverage omics approaches, integration of metabolomics and lipidomics is becoming an emerging approach to mechanistic investigation. Integration of metabolome and lipidome offers a complete atlas of the metabolic landscape, enabling comprehensive network analysis to identify critical metabolic drivers in disease pathology, facilitating the study of interconnection between lipids and other metabolites in disease progression. In this review, we summarize omics-based findings on the roles of lipids and metabolites in the pathogenesis of selected major diseases threatening public health. We also discuss the advantages of integrating lipidomics and metabolomics for in-depth understanding of molecular mechanism in disease pathogenesis.

A UPLC-MS-based metabolomics approach to reveal the attenuation mechanism of Caowu compatibility with Yunnan Baiyao

Yunnan Baiyao (YNBY) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine containing Caowu (Aconiti kusnezoffii radix, CW). However, the application of YNBY is limited by the toxicity of CW. Notably, CW is not used alone in YNBY, but is combined with other herbs in a formula for clinical use. In the present study, the compatibility of the protective effects and mechanism of YNBY with the potential toxicity of CW was investigated. After combining with other compatible herbs, the serum metabolic disorder induced by CW can be regulated. Using UPLC-MS-based metabolomics, 63 endogenous serum metabolites were identified as being associated with the potential toxicity of CW, 17 of which were regulated to normal levels when CW was combined with other compatible herbs in YNBY. These regulated metabolites were closely related to glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis metabolic pathways. This study aims to evaluate the attenuation mechanism of CW compatibility with YNBY.

Yunnan Baiyao (YNBY) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine containing Caowu (Aconiti kusnezoffii radix, CW).

Targeting regulation of tryptophan metabolism for colorectal cancer therapy: a systematic review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most malignant cancers resulting from abnormal metabolism alterations. As one of the essential amino acids, tryptophan has a variety of physiological functions, closely related to regulation of immune system, central nervous system, gastrointestinal nervous system and intestinal microflora. Colorectal cancer, a type of high-grade malignancy disease, stems from a variety of factors and often accompanies inflammatory reactions, dysbacteriosis, and metabolic disorders. Colorectal cancer accompanies inflammation and imbalance of intestinal microbiota and affects tryptophan metabolism. It is known that metabolites, rate-limiting enzymes, and ARH in tryptophan metabolism are associated with the development of CRC. Specifically, IDO1 may be a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer treatment. Furthermore, the reduction of tryptophan amount is proportional to the poor quality of life for colorectal cancer patients. This paper aims to discuss the role of tryptophan metabolism in a normal organism and investigate the relationship between this amino acid and colorectal cancer. This study is expected to provide theoretical support for research related to targeted therapy for colorectal cancer. Furthermore, strategies that modify tryptophan metabolism, effectively inhibiting tumor progression, may be more effective for CRC treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most malignant cancers resulting from abnormal metabolism alterations.

High-throughput lipidomics reveal mirabilite regulating lipid metabolism as anticancer therapeutics

Altered lipid metabolism is an emerging hallmark of cancers. Mirabilite has a therapeutic effect on colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its metabolic mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to explore the potential therapeutic targets of mirabilite protection against colorectal cancer in APC^min/+ mice model. Oral administration of mirabilite was started from the ninth month, while the same dosage of distilled water was given to both the control group and the model group. Based on lipidomics, we collected serum samples of all mice at the 20^th week and used a non-targeted method to identify the lipid biomarkers of CRC. Compared with C57BL/6J mice, the metabolic profile of CRC model mice was significantly disturbed, and we identified that 25 lipid-related biomarkers, including linoleic acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, 6-deoxocastasterone, hypoxanthine, PC(16:1), PC(18:4), and retinyl acetate, were associated with CRC. According to the abovementioned results, there were six lipid molecules with significant differences that can be used as new targets for handling of CRC through six metabolic pathways, namely, linoleic acid metabolism, retinol metabolism, propanoate metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and purine metabolism. Compared with the model group, the metabolic profiles of these disorders tend to recover after treatment. These results indicated that the lipid molecules associated with CRC were regulated by mirabilite. In addition, we identified seven key lipid molecules, of which four had statistical significance. After administration of mirabilite, all disordered metabolic pathways showed different degrees of regulation. In conclusion, high-throughput lipidomics approach revealed mirabilite regulating the altered lipid metabolism as anticancer therapeutics.

Altered lipid metabolism is an emerging hallmark of cancers.