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Pan X, Donaghy PC, Roberts G, Chouliaras L, O’Brien JT, Thomas AJ, Heslegrave AJ, Zetterberg H, McGuinness B, Passmore AP, Green BD, Kane JPM. Plasma metabolites distinguish dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional metabolomic analysis. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 15:1326780. [PMID: 38239488 PMCID: PMC10794326 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1326780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background In multifactorial diseases, alterations in the concentration of metabolites can identify novel pathological mechanisms at the intersection between genetic and environmental influences. This study aimed to profile the plasma metabolome of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), two neurodegenerative disorders for which our understanding of the pathophysiology is incomplete. In the clinical setting, DLB is often mistaken for AD, highlighting a need for accurate diagnostic biomarkers. We therefore also aimed to determine the overlapping and differentiating metabolite patterns associated with each and establish whether identification of these patterns could be leveraged as biomarkers to support clinical diagnosis. Methods A panel of 630 metabolites (Biocrates MxP Quant 500) and a further 232 metabolism indicators (biologically informative sums and ratios calculated from measured metabolites, each indicative for a specific pathway or synthesis; MetaboINDICATOR) were analyzed in plasma from patients with probable DLB (n = 15; age 77.6 ± 8.2 years), probable AD (n = 15; 76.1 ± 6.4 years), and age-matched cognitively healthy controls (HC; n = 15; 75.2 ± 6.9 years). Metabolites were quantified using a reversed-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography column and triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, or by using flow injection analysis in MRM mode. Data underwent multivariate (PCA analysis), univariate and receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Metabolite data were also correlated (Spearman r) with the collected clinical neuroimaging and protein biomarker data. Results The PCA plot separated DLB, AD and HC groups (R2 = 0.518, Q2 = 0.348). Significant alterations in 17 detected metabolite parameters were identified (q ≤ 0.05), including neurotransmitters, amino acids and glycerophospholipids. Glutamine (Glu; q = 0.045) concentrations and indicators of sphingomyelin hydroxylation (q = 0.039) distinguished AD and DLB, and these significantly correlated with semi-quantitative measurement of cardiac sympathetic denervation. The most promising biomarker differentiating AD from DLB was Glu:lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC a 24:0) ratio (AUC = 0.92; 95%CI 0.809-0.996; sensitivity = 0.90; specificity = 0.90). Discussion Several plasma metabolomic aberrations are shared by both DLB and AD, but a rise in plasma glutamine was specific to DLB. When measured against plasma lysoPC a C24:0, glutamine could differentiate DLB from AD, and the reproducibility of this biomarker should be investigated in larger cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobei Pan
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Paul C. Donaghy
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma Roberts
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Leonidas Chouliaras
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - John T. O’Brien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alan J. Thomas
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda J. Heslegrave
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
- Dementia Research Institute, UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
- Dementia Research Institute, UCL, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | - Anthony P. Passmore
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Brian D. Green
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph P. M. Kane
- Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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