Serum metabolomic profiling identifies potential biomarkers in arthritis in older adults: an exploratory study

Martha Cedeno; Jessica Murillo-Saich; Roxana Coras; Francesca Cedola; Anahy Brandy; Agueda Prior; Anders Pedersen; Lourdes Mateo; Melania Martinez-Morillo; Monica Guma

doi:10.1007/s11306-023-02004-y

Serum metabolomic profiling identifies potential biomarkers in arthritis in older adults: an exploratory study

Metabolomics. 2023 Apr 6;19(4):37. doi: 10.1007/s11306-023-02004-y.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Plaça Cívica, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain.
³ Department of Rheumatology, Germans Trias i Pujol, University Hospital, Carretera de Canyet, Badalona, 08916, Spain.
⁴ Swedish NMR Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 41390, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Rheumatology, Germans Trias i Pujol, University Hospital, Carretera de Canyet, Badalona, 08916, Spain. melaniamm@gmail.com.
⁶ Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. mguma@health.ucsd.edu.
⁷ Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Plaça Cívica, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain. mguma@health.ucsd.edu.
⁸ VA Healthcare Service, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA. mguma@health.ucsd.edu.

PMID: 37022535
DOI: 10.1007/s11306-023-02004-y

Abstract

Background: Seronegative elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA)^neg and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) have similar clinical characteristics making them difficult to distinguish based on clinical features. We hypothesized that the study of serum metabolome could identify potential biomarkers of PMR vs. EORA^neg.

Methods: Arthritis in older adults (ARTIEL) is an observational prospective cohort with patients older than 60 years of age with newly diagnosed arthritis. Patients' blood samples were compared at baseline with 18 controls. A thorough clinical examination was conducted. A Bruker Avance 600 MHz spectrometer was used to acquire Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra of serum samples. Chenomx NMR suite 8.5 was used for metabolite identification and quantification.Student t-test, one-way ANOVA, binary linear regression and ROC curve, Pearson's correlation along with pathway analyses were conducted.

Results: Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with EORA^neg and 20 with PMR. EORA^neg patients had a mean disease activity score (DAS)-Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) of 6.21 ± 1.00. All PMR patients reported shoulder pain, and 90% reported pelvic pain. Fifty-eight polar metabolites were identified. Of these, 3-hydroxybutyrate, acetate, glucose, glycine, lactate, and o-acetylcholine (o-ACh), were significantly different between groups. Of interest, IL-6 correlated with different metabolites in PMR and EORA^neg suggesting different inflammatory activated pathways. Finally, lactate, o-ACh, taurine, and sex (female) were identified as distinguishable factors of PMR from EORA^neg with a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 92.3%, and an AUC of 0.925 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: These results suggest that EORA^neg and PMR have different serum metabolomic profiles that might be related to their pathobiology and can be used as biomarker to discriminate between both diseases.

Keywords: Metabolomics; NMR; PMR; Seronegative RA.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Aged
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* / diagnosis
Biomarkers
Female
Humans
Lactates
Metabolomics
Polymyalgia Rheumatica* / diagnosis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica* / pathology
Prospective Studies

Substances

Biomarkers
Lactates

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

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