1
|
Fu Q, Yuan X, Wang W, Han X, Zhang J, Wu J, Wang Y. Causal association of genetically determined plasma metabolites with osteoarthritis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 11:1396746. [PMID: 39005650 PMCID: PMC11245738 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1396746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background We aimed to elucidate the causal relationship between plasma metabolites and the vulnerability to Osteoarthritis (OA), encompassing both hip OA and knee OA. Methods We conducted a two-way two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the association of 1,400 plasma metabolites with OA. The Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) model served as the primary two-sample MR Analysis method, with supplementary analysis using the Weighted Median (WM) and MR Egger methods. To ensure the robustness of our findings, sensitivity analyses were performed, incorporating Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, and Leave-One-Out analyses. To validate the identified metabolites, we utilized the Steiger test and linkage disequilibrium score regression. Results A total of 94 plasma metabolites were associated with osteoarthritis, with 60 associated with hip OA and 106 associated with knee OA. IVW analysis revealed that tryptophan levels showed the strongest positive association with hip OA (OR [95% CI]: 1.119 [1.024, 1.223]), while X-24757 levels exhibited the highest positive association with knee osteoarthritis (OR [95% CI]: 1.095 [1.032, 1.162]). Ethylparaben sulfate levels were found to have the greatest positive association with hip OA (OR [95% CI]: 1.118 [1.015, 1.231]). Notably, the plasma metabolite X-2475 showed a strong robust random effect across all three types of osteoarthritis. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed that the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis in the hip was mediated by acetylarginine, specifically in four important metabolic pathways: ethanol degradation (p = 0.044), amino sugar metabolism (p = 0.090), fatty acid biosynthesis (p = 0.095), and aspartate metabolism (p = 0.097816). Conclusion There is a significant association between tryptophan levels and the risk of hip OA, as well as X-24757 levels and the risk of knee osteoarthritis. Additionally, X-24757 levels are also linked to the risk of hip OA. Moreover, this study has identified four crucial metabolic pathways in hip osteoarthritis, which are all regulated by acetylarginine. These findings provide valuable insights into potential biomarkers for OA and highlight potential pathways for its prevention and clinical intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingsong Fu
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xinhua Yuan
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weibin Wang
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xinyou Han
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiakai Zhang
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Junlong Wu
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zagkos L, Cronjé HT, Woolf B, de La Harpe R, Burgess S, Mantzoros CS, Elliott P, Yuan S, Larsson SC, Tzoulaki I, Gill D. Genetic investigation into the broad health implications of caffeine: evidence from phenome-wide, proteome-wide and metabolome-wide Mendelian randomization. BMC Med 2024; 22:81. [PMID: 38378567 PMCID: PMC10880284 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03298-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caffeine is one of the most utilized drugs in the world, yet its clinical effects are not fully understood. Circulating caffeine levels are influenced by the interplay between consumption behaviour and metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of circulating caffeine levels by considering genetically predicted variation in caffeine metabolism. METHODS Leveraging genetic variants related to caffeine metabolism that affect its circulating levels, we investigated the clinical effects of plasma caffeine in a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS). We validated novel findings using a two-sample Mendelian randomization framework and explored the potential mechanisms underlying these effects in proteome-wide and metabolome-wide Mendelian randomization. RESULTS Higher levels of genetically predicted circulating caffeine among caffeine consumers were associated with a lower risk of obesity (odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation increase in caffeine = 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) CI: 0.95-0.98, p = 2.47 × 10-4), osteoarthrosis (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98, P=1.10 × 10-8) and osteoarthritis (OR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96 to 0.98, P = 1.09 × 10-6). Approximately one third of the protective effect of plasma caffeine on osteoarthritis risk was estimated to be mediated through lower bodyweight. Proteomic and metabolomic perturbations indicated lower chronic inflammation, improved lipid profiles, and altered protein and glycogen metabolism as potential biological mechanisms underlying these effects. CONCLUSIONS We report novel evidence suggesting that long-term increases in circulating caffeine may reduce bodyweight and the risk of osteoarthrosis and osteoarthritis. We confirm prior genetic evidence of a protective effect of plasma caffeine on risk of overweight and obesity. Further clinical study is warranted to understand the translational relevance of these findings before clinical practice or lifestyle interventions related to caffeine consumption are introduced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loukas Zagkos
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Héléne T Cronjé
- Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Benjamin Woolf
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Roxane de La Harpe
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephen Burgess
- Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christos S Mantzoros
- Department of Medicine, Boston VA Healthcare System and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susanna C Larsson
- Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Unit of Medical Epidemiology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, London, UK
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Division of Systems Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dipender Gill
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ekeuku SO, Tan JK, Al-Saadi HM, Ahmad F, Elvy Suhana MR, Arlamsyah AM, Japar Sidik FZ, Abdul Hamid J, Ima-Nirwana S, Chin KY. Serum Metabolomic Alteration in Rats with Osteoarthritis Treated with Palm Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction Alone or in Combination with Glucosamine Sulphate. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2343. [PMID: 38137944 PMCID: PMC10744932 DOI: 10.3390/life13122343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint condition with limited disease-modifying treatments currently. Palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) has been previously shown to be effective against OA, but its mechanism of action remains elusive. This study aims to compare serum metabolomic alteration in Sprague-Dawley rats with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA which were treated with palm TRF, glucosamine sulphate, or a combination of both. This study was performed on thirty adult male rats, which were divided into normal control (n = 6) and OA groups (n = 24). The OA group received intra-articular injections of MIA and daily oral treatments of refined olive oil (vehicle, n = 6), palm TRF (100 mg/kg, n = 6), glucosamine sulphate (250 mg/kg, n = 6), or a combination of TRF and glucosamine (n = 6) for four weeks. Serum was collected at the study's conclusion for metabolomic analysis. The findings revealed that MIA-induced OA influences amino acid metabolism, leading to changes in metabolites associated with the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan as well as alterations in the metabolism of phenylalanine, tryptophan, arginine and proline. Supplementation with glucosamine sulphate, TRF, or both effectively reversed these metabolic changes induced by OA. The amelioration of metabolic effects induced by OA is linked to the therapeutic effects of TRF and glucosamine. However, it remains unclear whether these effects are direct or indirect in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Ogechi Ekeuku
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia; (S.O.E.)
| | - Jen-Kit Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia; (S.O.E.)
| | - Hiba Murtadha Al-Saadi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | - Fairus Ahmad
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Ramli Elvy Suhana
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | - Azlan Mohd Arlamsyah
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | | | - Juliana Abdul Hamid
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | - Soelaiman Ima-Nirwana
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| | - Kok-Yong Chin
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras 56000, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liao Z, Han X, Wang Y, Shi J, Zhang Y, Zhao H, Zhang L, Jiang M, Liu M. Differential Metabolites in Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2023; 15:4191. [PMID: 37836475 PMCID: PMC10574084 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Many studies have attempted to utilize metabolomic approaches to explore potential biomarkers for the early detection of osteoarthritis (OA), but consistent and high-level evidence is still lacking. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of differential small molecule metabolites between OA patients and healthy individuals to screen promising candidates from a large number of samples with the aim of informing future prospective studies. (2) Methods: We searched the EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Wan Fang Data, VIP Date, and CNKI up to 11 August 2022, and selected relevant records based on inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. We performed qualitative synthesis by counting the frequencies of changing directions and conducted meta-analyses using the random effects model and the fixed-effects model to calculate the mean difference and 95% confidence interval. (3) Results: A total of 3798 records were identified and 13 studies with 495 participants were included. In the 13 studies, 132 kinds of small molecule differential metabolites were extracted, 58 increased, 57 decreased and 17 had direction conflicts. Among them, 37 metabolites appeared more than twice. The results of meta-analyses among four studies showed that three metabolites increased, and eight metabolites decreased compared to healthy controls (HC). (4) Conclusions: The main differential metabolites between OA and healthy subjects were amino acids (AAs) and their derivatives, including tryptophan, lysine, leucine, proline, phenylalanine, glutamine, dimethylglycine, citrulline, asparagine, acetylcarnitine and creatinine (muscle metabolic products), which could be potential biomarkers for predicting OA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zeqi Liao
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| | - Xu Han
- Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China;
| | - Yuhe Wang
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| | - Jingru Shi
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| | - Yuanyue Zhang
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| | - Hongyan Zhao
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| | - Lei Zhang
- National Data Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China;
| | - Miao Jiang
- Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China;
| | - Meijie Liu
- Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China; (Z.L.); (Y.W.); (J.S.); (Y.Z.); (H.Z.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Gu Y, Jin Q, Hu J, Wang X, Yu W, Wang Z, Wang C, Liu Y, Chen Y, Yuan W. Causality of genetically determined metabolites and metabolic pathways on osteoarthritis: a two-sample mendelian randomization study. J Transl Med 2023; 21:357. [PMID: 37259122 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04165-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal diseases and is the leading cause of pain and disability in the aged population. However, the underlying biological mechanism has not been fully understood. This study aims to reveal the causal effect of circulation metabolites on OA susceptibility. METHODS A two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis was performed to estimate the causality of GDMs on OA. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 486 metabolites was used as the exposure, whereas 8 different OA phenotypes, including any-site OA (All OA), knee and/or hip OA (knee/hip OA), knee OA, hip OA, spine OA, finger and/or thumb OA (hand OA), finger OA, thumb OA, were set the outcomes. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was used for calculating causal estimates. Methods including weight mode, weight median, MR-egger, and MR-PRESSO were used for the sensitive analysis. Furthermore, metabolic pathway analysis was performed via the web-based Metaconflict 4.0. All statistical analyses were performed in R software. RESULTS In this MR analysis, a total of 235 causative associations between metabolites and different OA phenotypes were observed. After false discovery rate (FDR) correction and sensitive analysis, 9 robust causative associations between 7 metabolites (e.g., arginine, kynurenine, and isovalerylcarnitine) and 5 OA phenotypes were finally identified. Additionally, eleven significant metabolic pathways in 4 OA phenotypes were identified by metabolic pathway analysis. CONCLUSION The finding of our study suggested that identified metabolites and metabolic pathways can be considered useful circulating metabolic biomarkers for OA screening and prevention in clinical practice, and can also serve as candidate molecules for future mechanism exploration and drug target selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Gu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Qianmei Jin
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Jinquan Hu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Wenchao Yu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Zhanchao Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China.
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China.
| | - Wen Yuan
- Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Liu M, Zhang H, Xie Z, Huang Y, Sun G, Qi D, Furey A, Randell EW, Rahman P, Zhai G. Glutathione, polyamine, and lysophosphatidylcholine synthesis pathways are associated with circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. Metabolomics 2022; 18:76. [PMID: 36180605 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-022-01932-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pro-inflammatory cytokines are responsible for initiating an effective defense against exogenous pathogens, and their regulation has a vital role in maintaining physiological homeostasis. The involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokines in pathological conditions have been explored in great detail, however, studies investigating metabolic pathways associated with these cytokines under normal homeostatic conditions are scarce. OBJECTIVES The aim of the current study was to identify metabolites and metabolic pathways associated with circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines under homeostatic conditions using a metabolomics approach. METHODS The study participants (n = 133) were derived from the Newfoundland Osteoarthritis Study (NFOAS) and the Complex Diseases in the Newfoundland population: Environment and Genetics (CODING) study. Plasma concentrations of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Targeted metabolomic profiling on fasting plasma samples was performed using Biocrates MxP® Quant 500 kit which measures a total of 630 metabolites. Associations between natural log-transformed metabolite concentrations and metabolite sums/ratios and cytokine levels were assessed using linear regression with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and osteoarthritis status. RESULTS Seven metabolites and 11 metabolite sums/ratios were found to be significantly associated with TNF-α, IL-1β, and MIF (all p ≤ 5.13 × 10- 5) after controlling multiple testing with Bonferroni method, indicating the association between glutathione (GSH), polyamine, and lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) synthesis pathways and these pro-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSION GSH, polyamine, and lysoPC synthesis pathways were positively associated with circulating TNF-α, IL-1β, and MIF levels under homeostatic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Hongwei Zhang
- Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Zikun Xie
- Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yiheng Huang
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Guang Sun
- Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Dake Qi
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Andrew Furey
- Discipline of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Office of the Premier, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Canada
| | - Edward W Randell
- Discipline of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Proton Rahman
- Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Guangju Zhai
- Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Xie Z, Aitken D, Liu M, Lei G, Jones G, Cicuttini F, Zhai G. Serum Metabolomic Signatures for Knee Cartilage Volume Loss over 10 Years in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12060869. [PMID: 35743900 PMCID: PMC9225196 DOI: 10.3390/life12060869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disorder characterized by joint structural pathological changes with the loss of articular cartilage as its hallmark. Tools that can predict cartilage loss would help identify people at high risk, thus preventing OA development. The recent advance of the metabolomics provides a new avenue to systematically investigate metabolic alterations in disease and identify biomarkers for early diagnosis. Using a metabolomics approach, the current study aimed to identify serum metabolomic signatures for predicting knee cartilage volume loss over 10 years in the Tasmania Older Adult Cohort (TASOAC). Cartilage volume was measured in the medial, lateral, and patellar compartments of the knee by MRI at baseline and follow-up. Changes in cartilage volume over 10 years were calculated as percentage change per year. Fasting serum samples collected at 2.6-year follow-up were metabolomically profiled using the TMIC Prime Metabolomics Profiling Assay and pairwise metabolite ratios as the proxies of enzymatic reaction were calculated. Linear regression was used to identify metabolite ratio(s) associated with change in cartilage volume in each of the knee compartments with adjustment for age, sex, and BMI. The significance level was defined at α = 3.0 × 10−6 to control multiple testing. A total of 344 participants (51% females) were included in the study. The mean age was 62.83 ± 6.13 years and the mean BMI was 27.48 ± 4.41 kg/m2 at baseline. The average follow-up time was 10.84 ± 0.66 years. Cartilage volume was reduced by 1.34 ± 0.72%, 1.06 ± 0.58%, and 0.98 ± 0.46% per year in the medial, lateral, and patellar compartments, respectively. Our data showed that the increased ratios of hexadecenoylcarnitine (C16:1) to tetradecanoylcarnitine (C14) and C16:1 to dodecanoylcarnitine (C12) were associated with 0.12 ± 0.02% reduction per year in patellar cartilage volume (both p < 3.03 × 10−6). In conclusion, our data suggested that alteration of long chain fatty acid β-oxidation was involved in patellar cartilage loss. While confirmation is needed, the ratios of C16:1 to C14 and C12 might be used to predict long-term cartilage loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zikun Xie
- Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada; (Z.X.); (M.L.)
- Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China;
| | - Dawn Aitken
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7005, Australia; (D.A.); (G.J.)
| | - Ming Liu
- Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada; (Z.X.); (M.L.)
| | - Guanghua Lei
- Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China;
| | - Graeme Jones
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7005, Australia; (D.A.); (G.J.)
| | - Flavia Cicuttini
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Medical School, Melbourne 3006, Australia;
| | - Guangju Zhai
- Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada; (Z.X.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-709-864-6683; Fax: +1-709-864-6531
| |
Collapse
|