Targeted Serum Organic-Acid Profiling Identifies Candidate Metabolic Signatures in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: A...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Metabolomics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a serious heart failure condition during late pregnancy or postpartum.
• Current biomarkers for PPCM are insufficient for accurate recognition and characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if targeted serum organic acid profiling can identify metabolites linked to PPCM.
• To explore potential novel biomarkers for PPCM diagnosis and characterization.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study analyzed serum samples from 40 PPCM patients and 40 healthy controls.
• Targeted organic acid panel used for metabolite profiling.
• Statistical analyses included Welch's t-test, Benjamini-Hochberg FDR correction, and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Main Results:

• Homogentisic acid levels were significantly increased in PPCM patients (log2FC = 0.696, FDR q = 9.8 × 10⁻⁶).
• Lactic acid levels were significantly decreased in PPCM patients (log2FC = -0.701, FDR q = 0.00773).
• A single metabolite achieved an AUC of 0.818, while a multivariable model had a cross-validated AUC of 0.708.

Conclusions:

• Targeted organic acid profiling reveals a distinct metabolic signature in PPCM.
• Elevated homogentisic acid and reduced lactic acid are potential biomarkers for PPCM.
• Further validation in larger prospective studies is warranted.