Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
05:51

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness

Published on: May 3, 2018

18.5K

Urinary Metabolites and Their Link with Premature Arterial Stiffness in Black Boys: The ASOS Study

Dalene Erasmus1, Carina M C Mels1,2, Roan Louw3

  • 1Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University - Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Pulse (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Black boys aged 6-8 have higher pulse wave velocity, indicating potential vascular issues. Specific urinary metabolites like β-alanine and 1-methylhistidine are associated with pulse wave velocity in these children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric cardiovascular health
  • Metabolomics research
  • Vascular function assessment

Background:

  • Higher pulse wave velocity (PWV) observed in Black boys (6-8 years) suggests potential early vascular compromise.
  • Existing research indicates a need to explore underlying metabolic factors contributing to these vascular differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare urinary metabolite profiles between Black and White boys (6-8 years).
  • To investigate associations between PWV and specific urinary metabolites in this pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Included 40 Black and 40 White healthy boys aged 6-8 years.
  • Measured femoral PWV and analyzed urinary metabolites using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS).

Main Results:

  • Black boys exhibited higher PWV and diastolic blood pressure compared to White boys (p ≤ 0.002).
  • Significant differences in urinary metabolites were observed: lower isovalerylcarnitine and tended lower 1-methylhistidine, and tended higher L-proline in Black boys.
  • PWV correlated inversely with β-alanine and 1-methylhistidine, and positively with L-proline, threonic acid, and malonic acid in Black boys.

Conclusions:

  • This study is the first to identify associations between PWV and specific metabolites (β-alanine, 1-methylhistidine, L-proline) in South African children.
  • Findings suggest potential early compromise in cardiac-protective metabolic pathways in Black boys as young as 6 years.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cardiac protectionL-ProlineMetabolomicsPulse wave velocityβ-Alanine

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