Metabolomics of peripheral artery disease

The science of metabolomics has emerged as a novel tool for studying changes in metabolism that accompany different disease states. Several studies have applied this evolving field to the study of various cardiovascular disease states, which has led to improved understanding of metabolic changes that underlie heart failure and ischemic heart disease. A significant amount of progress has also been made in the identification of novel biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Another common atherosclerotic disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects arteries of the lower extremities. Although certain aspects of the disease pathophysiology overlap with other cardiovascular diseases in general, PAD patients suffer unique manifestations that lead to significant morbidity and mortality as well as severe functional limitations. Furthermore, because over half of PAD patients are asymptomatic, there is a need for improved diagnostic and screening methods. Identification of metabolites associated with the disease may thus be a promising approach for PAD. However, PAD remains highly understudied. In this chapter, we discuss the application of metabolomics to the study of PAD.