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van Wegberg AMJ, van der Weerd JC, Engelke UFH, Coene KLM, Jahja R, Bakker SJL, Huijbregts SCJ, Wevers RA, Heiner-Fokkema MR, van Spronsen FJ. The clinical relevance of novel biomarkers as outcome parameter in adults with phenylketonuria. J Inherit Metab Dis 2024; 47:624-635. [PMID: 38556470 DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12732] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies in PKU patients identified alternative biomarkers in blood using untargeted metabolomics. To test the added clinical value of these novel biomarkers, targeted metabolomics of 11 PKU biomarkers (phenylalanine, glutamyl-phenylalanine, glutamyl-glutamyl-phenylalanine, N-lactoyl-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-phenylalanine, the dipeptides phenylalanyl-phenylalanine and phenylalanyl-leucine, phenylalanine-hexose conjugate, phenyllactate, phenylpyruvate, and phenylacetate) was performed in stored serum samples of the well-defined PKU patient-COBESO cohort and a healthy control group. Serum samples of 35 PKU adults and 20 healthy age- and sex-matched controls were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Group differences were tested using the Mann-Whitney U test. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed with these biomarkers as predictors of (neuro-)cognitive functions working memory, sustained attention, inhibitory control, and mental health. Compared to healthy controls, phenylalanine, glutamyl-phenylalanine, N-lactoyl-phenylalanine, N-acetyl-phenylalanine, phenylalanine-hexose conjugate, phenyllactate, phenylpyruvate, and phenylacetate were significant elevated in PKU adults (p < 0.001). The remaining three were below limit of detection in PKU and controls. Both phenylalanine and N-lactoyl-phenylalanine were associated with DSM-VI Attention deficit/hyperactivity (R2 = 0.195, p = 0.039 and R2 = 0.335, p = 0.002, respectively) of the ASR questionnaire. In addition, N-lactoyl-phenylalanine showed significant associations with ASR DSM-VI avoidant personality (R2 = 0.265, p = 0.010), internalizing (R2 = 0.192, p = 0.046) and externalizing problems (R2 = 0.217, p = 0.029) of the ASR questionnaire and multiple aspects of the MS2D and FI tests, reflecting working memory with R2 between 0.178 (p = 0.048) and 0.204 (p = 0.033). Even though the strength of the models was not considered strong, N-lactoyl-phenylalanine outperformed phenylalanine in its association with working memory and mental health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M J van Wegberg
- Division of Metabolic Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Beatrix Children's Hospital, The Netherlands
| | - J C van der Weerd
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - U F H Engelke
- Department of Human Genetics, Translational Metabolic Laboratory, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K L M Coene
- Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Máxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, The Netherlands
| | - R Jahja
- Division of Metabolic Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Beatrix Children's Hospital, The Netherlands
| | - S J L Bakker
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - S C J Huijbregts
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies-Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - R A Wevers
- Department of Human Genetics, Translational Metabolic Laboratory, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - M R Heiner-Fokkema
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - F J van Spronsen
- Division of Metabolic Diseases, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Beatrix Children's Hospital, The Netherlands
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Buonamassa R, Boscia G, Gaudiomonte M, Guerriero S, Fischetto R, Montepara A, Grassi MO, Pignataro MG, Puzo P, Giancipoli E, D’addario M, Alessio G, Boscia F, Viggiano P. Neurovascular retinal impairment in early-treated adults with phenylketonuria. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1305984. [PMID: 38974690 PMCID: PMC11225547 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1305984] [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: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose To compare radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) vascular plexus parameters and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness between Early-Treated Adults with Phenylketonuria (ETPKU) and controls. Methods This observational study was a monocentric, case control study including 36 eyes of 36 participants. Among these, 18 were early-treated PKU (ETPKU) and 18 were controls. A SD-OCTA (XR Avanti AngioVue OCTA; Optovue Inc., Fremont, CA) was employed to assess the OCT and OCTA parameters of all the participants. The main outcome measures were the RPC vessels density (VD) %, and the pRNFL thickness. Results The average pRNFL thickness was significantly reduced in ETPKU (110.78 ± 12.48 μm) compared to controls (113.22 ± 13.95 μm), p = 0.046. The mean VD% of the small vessels of the RPC plexus was 52.31 ± 2.2 in ETPKU and 50.71 ± 3.2 in controls (p = 0.049), while the VD% of all the radial peripapillary capillary plexus (RPCP) was 58.5 ± 2.2 in ETPKU and 55.08 ± 3.4 in controls (p < 0.001). By contrast, there were no differences in age, sex, and IOP between the two groups. Conclusion Through structural OCT and OCTA, we observed thinning of the nerve fibers accompanied by an increase in perfusion of the RPC plexus. Thus, our conclusions suggest that OCTA may serve as a noninvasive method to identify novel retinal biomarkers in ETPKU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Buonamassa
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Giacomo Boscia
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Marida Gaudiomonte
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Silvana Guerriero
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Rita Fischetto
- Metabolic Diseases and Clinical Genetics Unit, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Giovanni XXIII Children’s Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Alfonso Montepara
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Oliva Grassi
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Pignataro
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Pasquale Puzo
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Marina D’addario
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Alessio
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Boscia
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Pasquale Viggiano
- Department of Translational Biomedicine Neuroscience, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
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Cannet C, Bayat A, Frauendienst-Egger G, Freisinger P, Spraul M, Himmelreich N, Kockaya M, Ahring K, Godejohann M, MacDonald A, Trefz F. Phenylketonuria (PKU) Urinary Metabolomic Phenotype Is Defined by Genotype and Metabolite Imbalance: Results in 51 Early Treated Patients Using Ex Vivo 1H-NMR Analysis. Molecules 2023; 28:4916. [PMID: 37446577 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28134916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. Depending on the severity of the genetic mutation, medical treatment, and patient dietary management, elevated phenylalanine (Phe) may occur in blood and brain tissues. Research has recently shown that high Phe not only impacts the central nervous system, but also other organ systems (e.g., heart and microbiome). This study used ex vivo proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis of urine samples from PKU patients (mean 14.9 ± 9.2 years, n = 51) to identify the impact of elevated blood Phe and PKU treatment on metabolic profiles. Our results found that 24 out of 98 urinary metabolites showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) for PKU patients compared to age-matched healthy controls (n = 51) based on an analysis of urinary metabolome. These altered urinary metabolites were related to Phe metabolism, dysbiosis, creatine synthesis or intake, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, end products of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide degradation, and metabolites associated with a low Phe diet. There was an excellent correlation between the metabolome and genotype of PKU patients and healthy controls of 96.7% in a confusion matrix model. Metabolomic investigations may contribute to a better understanding of PKU pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Allan Bayat
- Kennedy Centre, Center for PKU, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark
| | | | - Peter Freisinger
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Musa Kockaya
- Private Pediatric Practice, 68307 Mannheim, Germany
| | | | | | - Anita MacDonald
- Dietetic Department, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK
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Lotz-Havla AS, Katzdobler S, Nuscher B, Weiß K, Levin J, Havla J, Maier EM. Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain in patients with early treated phenylketonuria. Front Neurol 2022; 13:1011470. [PMID: 36247773 PMCID: PMC9559705 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1011470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
To pave the way for healthy aging in early treated phenylketonuria (ETPKU) patients, a better understanding of the neurological course in this population is needed, requiring easy accessible biomarkers to monitor neurological disease progression in large cohorts. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the potential of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) as blood biomarkers to indicate changes of the central nervous system in ETPKU. In this single-center cross-sectional study, GFAP and NfL concentrations in serum were quantified using the Simoa® multiplex technology in 56 ETPKU patients aged 6–36 years and 16 age matched healthy controls. Correlation analysis and hierarchical linear regression analysis were performed to investigate an association with disease-related biochemical parameters and retinal layers assessed by optical coherence tomography. ETPKU patients did not show significantly higher GFAP concentrations (mean 73 pg/ml) compared to healthy controls (mean 60 pg/ml, p = 0.140). However, individual pediatric and adult ETPKU patients had GFAP concentrations above the healthy control range. In addition, there was a significant association of GFAP concentrations with current plasma tyrosine concentrations (r = −0.482, p = 0.036), a biochemical marker in phenylketonuria, and the retinal inner nuclear layer volume (r = 0.451, p = 0.04). There was no evidence of NfL alterations in our ETPKU cohort. These pilot results encourage multicenter longitudinal studies to further investigate serum GFAP as a complementary tool to better understand and monitor neurological disease progression in ETPKU. Follow-up investigations on aging ETPKU patients are required to elucidate the potential of serum NfL as biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelie S. Lotz-Havla
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabrina Katzdobler
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Brigitte Nuscher
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Weiß
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, site Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim Havla
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Data Integration for Future Medicine (DIFUTURE) Consortium, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Joachim Havla
| | - Esther M. Maier
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Esther M. Maier
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Di Marino M, Di Marco E, Lombardo M, Mancino R, Nucci C, Cesareo M. Drusen-like deposits in a patient heterozygous for phenylketonuria. J Fr Ophtalmol 2022; 45:e393-e396. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfo.2022.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Lotz-Havla AS, Weiß K, Schiergens K, Regenauer-Vandewiele S, Parhofer KG, Christmann T, Böhm L, Havla J, Maier EM. Optical Coherence Tomography to Assess Neurodegeneration in Phenylalanine Hydroxylase Deficiency. Front Neurol 2021; 12:780624. [PMID: 34956063 PMCID: PMC8703042 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.780624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, an easily feasible method to access the progression of neurodegeneration is warranted to contribute to current discussions on treatment indications and targets. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether optical coherence tomography (OCT) measures as markers of neurodegeneration differ between patients with PAH deficiency and healthy controls (HCs) according to phenotype and metabolic control. In this single-center cross-sectional study, 92 patients with different phenotypes of PAH deficiency [PAH deficiency not requiring treatment, early treated phenylketonuria (ETPKU), and late-diagnosed phenylketonuria (PKU)] compared with 76 HCs were examined using spectral-domain OCT. Indices of phenylalanine elevation and variability were correlated with OCT parameters. Late-diagnosed PKU patients showed reduced peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness and combined ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) volume. Adult ETPKU patients were found to have lower GCIPL volume (p = 0.016), which correlated with the indices of phenylalanine control. In pediatric ETPKU patients with poor metabolic control, pRNFL was significantly reduced (p = 0.004). Patients with PAH deficiency not requiring treatment did not exhibit retinal degeneration. Inner nuclear layer (INL) was significantly increased in the pediatric ETPKU patients, driven by those with current poor metabolic control (p = 0.006). Our data provide evidence of retinal neuroaxonal degeneration and INL swelling, depending on the phenotype, current age, and metabolic control. These findings suggest that OCT is suitable to investigate neurodegeneration in PKU and we propose OCT as a sensitive, reliable, safe, low-burden, and low-cost examination for future multicenter studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelie S Lotz-Havla
- Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Weiß
- Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Schiergens
- Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Klaus G Parhofer
- Medical Department IV - Grosshadern, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Tara Christmann
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Luise Böhm
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim Havla
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Data Integration for Future Medicine (DIFUTURE) Consortium, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Esther M Maier
- Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Hopf S, Schuster AK, Hennermann JB, Pfeiffer N, Pitz S. Retinal thinning in phenylketonuria and Gaucher disease type 3. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2021; 260:1153-1160. [PMID: 34636993 PMCID: PMC8913472 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-021-05424-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Retinal alterations in inherited metabolic diseases associated with neurodegeneration are poorly studied. The objective was to study retinal thickness, specifically the components of the ganglion cell complex (GCC)-nerve fiber layer (NFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL)-using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in two different diseases with potential dopaminergic depletion, phenylketonuria (PKU) and Gaucher disease type 3 (GD3). METHODS Retinal layers in 19 patients with PKU, 15 patients with GD3, and 93 healthy individuals were measured using peripapillary ring scan and macular SD-OCT. Linear mixed models were computed including an adjustment for age, sex, and spherical equivalent. We calculated Spearman's rank correlations between retinal layer measurements and clinical and/or laboratory parameters. RESULTS Thinning of total retinal thickness was found in the macular inner ring (p = 0.002), and outer ring (p = 0.012), sparing the fovea (p = 0.12) in PKU, while in GD3, all subfields were thinned (fovea p < 0.001, inner ring p = 0.047, outer ring 0.07). In both conditions, thinning was most evident in the NFL, GCL, and IPL, while OPL (outer plexiform layer) was thickened. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer measurements remained normal. GCL and IPL in PKU correlated with tyrosine serum concentration. CONCLUSION Thinning of the NFL, GCL, and IPL, with thickened OPL, are both found in PKU and in GD3. Low dopamine concentrations in the retina might promote these effects. However, these data do not give evidence that retinal measurements can be used as a biomarker for disease severity in patients with GD3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hopf
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Alexander K Schuster
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia B Hennermann
- Villa Metabolica, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Norbert Pfeiffer
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Pitz
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
- Orbital Center, Ophthalmic Clinic, Bürgerhospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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