Comprehensive metabolomic profiling of osteosarcoma based on UHPLC-HRMS

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that tumor proliferation and metastasis are closely related to complex metabolic reprogramming. However, there are limited data to provide a comprehensive metabolic picture of osteosarcoma.

Our study aims to identify aberrant metabolic pathways and seek potential adjuvant biomarkers for osteosarcoma.

Serum samples were collected from 65 osteosarcoma patients and 30 healthy controls. Nontargeted metabolomic profiling was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based on univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.

The OPLS-DA model analysis identified clear separations among groups. We identified a set of differential metabolites such as higher serum levels of adenosine-5-monophosphate, inosine-5-monophosphate and guanosine monophosphate in primary OS patients compared to healthy controls, and higher serum levels of 5-aminopentanamide, 13(S)-HpOTrE (FA 18:3 + 2O) and methionine sulfoxide in lung metastatic OS patients compared to primary OS patients, revealing aberrant metabolic features during the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma. We found a group of metabolites especially lactic acid and glutamic acid, with AUC values of 0.97 and 0.98, which could serve as potential adjuvant diagnostic biomarkers for primary osteosarcoma, and a panel of 2 metabolites, 5-aminopentanamide and 13(S)-HpOTrE (FA 18:3 + 2O), with an AUC value of 0.92, that had good monitoring ability for lung metastases.

Our study provides new insight into the aberrant metabolic features of osteosarcoma. The potential biomarkers identified here may have translational significance.