Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Patients with Aortic Dissection

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Metabolomics
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Aortic dissection (AD) is a critical cardiovascular condition with high mortality.
• Current diagnostic methods for AD lack specific clinical biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate plasma amino acid profiles as potential non-invasive biomarkers for AD diagnosis.
• To differentiate between acute AD, chronic AD, and coronary heart disease (CHD) patients using metabolomics.

Main Methods:

• A metabolomics approach was used to analyze plasma amino acid profiles.
• Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified amino acids in 33 human subjects (11 CHD, 11 acute AD, 11 chronic AD).
• Statistical analyses including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), and multiple logistic regression were employed.

Main Results:

• Clear discrimination was observed between CHD, acute AD, and chronic AD patient groups using PCA and PLS-DA.
• Significant differences in amino acid levels (histidine, glycine, serine, citrate, ornithine, hydroxyproline, proline, sarcosine) were found in acute AD patients compared to CHD patients.
• Distinct alterations in citrate, GABA, glutamate, and cysteine levels were noted in chronic AD patients versus CHD patients.
• Glutamate and phenylalanine levels were significantly different between acute and chronic AD patients.

Conclusions:

• Plasma amino acid profiles are significantly altered in patients with aortic dissection, particularly in acute AD.
• Amino acid profiling shows promise as a novel, non-invasive, and objective diagnostic approach for AD.