Lipidomic Profiling Reveals Phenotype-Specific Metabolic Signatures in Obese and Hyperuricemic Children

This study aims to investigate the phenotype-specific alterations in lipid metabolism among children with obesity, hyperuricemia, and their co-occurrence and to explore the potential associations between lipidomic profiles and clinical indicators.

A nontargeted lipidomic analysis was conducted on serum samples from 100 children aged 6-18 years, categorized into control, hyperuricemia, obesity, and combined phenotype groups based on serum uric acid levels and body mass index. Metabolic network reconstruction, pathway enrichment, and correlation analyses were performed to delineate the relationships between lipid metabolic changes and clinical features.

The obesity group was characterized by a marked upregulation of triacylglycerols (TG). In the hyperuricemia group, membrane lipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were predominantly downregulated, whereas phosphatidylinositol (PI) showed heterogeneous alterations. The combined phenotype exhibited more extensive disruptions across multiple metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis revealed a consistent inverse relationship between TG and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a strong association between ceramides (Cer) and insulin metabolism, and a distinctive positive correlation between LPC and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the hyperuricemia group. Carnitines (CAR) showed bidirectional associations with kidney function-related parameters.

Lipid metabolism displays phenotype-specific regulatory patterns across distinct clinical presentations, with differential pathway involvement and functional enrichment. Key lipid species such as TG, PC, and Cer may serve as potential subtype biomarkers or therapeutic targets, offering novel insights into the early identification and precision management of metabolic disturbances in children.