Metabolomic Signature in Men with Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Using UHPLC-MS

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), the fourth leading cause of retinal disease, tends to affect men and is favored by corticosteroids. Untargeted systemic metabolomics was analyzed in 60 men with CSCR and 60 age-matched controls using UHPLC-MS. The analysis of sera revealed a total of 722 metabolites that differed significantly between the CSCR and control groups, with 592 being downregulated and 130 being upregulated. The metabolic profile exhibited incomplete breakdown products of protein digestion or catabolism, incomplete fatty acid β-oxidation, and alterations in antioxidant metabolism. A substantial upregulation of three primary fatty acid amides was observed, along with a downregulation of long-chain acylcarnitines and kynurenines. The reduction in long- and medium-chain acylcarnitine, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), tryptophan, and kynurenine, all of which are upregulated by glucocorticoids, does not support the hypothesis of excess glucocorticoid in patients with CSCR. In conclusion, we report here that patients with CRSC present a metabolic signature that could be useful as a complement to specific endocrine studies to better understand the relationship between corticoids and the pathology. Repeated cohorts are needed to validate these findings.