Mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics study of non-obese individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

OBJECTIVES

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease characterized by the accumulation of excessive fat in the liver, which can lead to fibrosis and has an increasing prevalence. NAFLD requires non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. While typically observed in overweight individuals, it can also occur in non-obese/non-overweight individuals. Comparative studies on non-obese NAFLD patients are scarce. This study aimed to conduct a using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based metabolic profiling of non-obese NAFLD patients and healthy controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The patient group consisted of 27 individuals with NAFLD, while the healthy control group included 39 individuals. Both groups were between 18 and 40 years old, had a BMI of less than 25 and had alcohol consumption less than 20 g/week for men and 10 g/week for women. Serum samples were collected and analyzed using LC-MS/MS. The data were analyzed using the TidyMass and MetaboAnalyst.

RESULTS

The LC-MS/MS analyses detected significant changes in D-amino acid metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, apoptosis, mTOR signaling pathway, lysine degradation, and phenylalanine metabolism pathways in non-obese NAFLD patients. Significant changes were also observed in the metabolites D-pantothenic acid, hypoxanthine, citric acid, citramalic acid, L-phenylalanine, glutamine, and histamine-trifluoromethyl-toluidide, β-hydroxymyristic acid, DL-Lactic acid, and 3-methyl-2-oxopentanoic. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the metabolic changes associated with non-obese NAFLD patients and can contribute to the development of non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD.

CONCLUSIONS

This study sheds light on the metabolic changes in non-obese NAFLD patients. Further research is needed to better understand the metabolic changes associated with NAFLD and to develop effective treatment options.

Maternal Serum Levels of Zinc, Copper, and Thiols in Preeclampsia Patients: a Case-Control Study

Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality-morbidity, and environmental factors act as the main driving force for the development of disease in genetically lean women. Trace element levels (zinc, copper) and thiol state (total, native thiol) may affect involved risk factors and play a role in the pathogenesis. The objective of our study is to assess trace element and thiol levels in patient and control groups. A total number of 88 pregnant women (in their third trimester) included 43 preeclampsia patients and 45 normotensive pregnant women as controls. The main findings of this study were the significantly elevated copper levels and decreased thiol levels (native and total thiols) in the patient group compared to controls (p < 0.05). Disulfide levels were not statistically different between the groups (p > 0.05). In patients, the predictive cutoff value of copper was 224 μg/dL and was 1.19 for the copper/native thiol ratio. Zinc levels were not statistically different between the two groups. Correlation analysis revealed no relationship between zinc-copper and zinc-total thiol levels in patients, while a positive correlation was evident in controls (zinc-copper, p < 0.05, r = 0.425, and zinc-total thiol levels, p < 0.05, r = 0.642). Patients had marginally high ALT and AST values in the normal range, and a significant difference was found between the two groups (p < 0.05). According to these results, elevated copper levels and decreased thiol levels may have a value for early prediction. The mechanisms that may be responsible for the altered element and thiol status have been discussed here in the context of oxidative stress.