Metabolic phenotyping of human atherosclerotic plaques: Metabolic alterations and their biological relevance in plaque-containing aorta

• Published in: Atherosclerosis 2018-02, Vol.269, p.21-28
• Main Authors: Jung, Sunhee, Song, Suk-Won, Lee, Sak, Kim, Se Hoon, Ann, Soo-jin, Cheon, Eun Jeong, Yi, Gijong, Choi, Eui-Young, Lee, Seung Hyun, Joo, Hyun-Chel, Ryu, Do Hyun, Lee, Sang-Hak, Hwang, Geum-Sook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Animals; Aorta - metabolism; Aorta - pathology; Aortic Diseases - metabolism; Aortic Diseases - pathology; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - metabolism; Atherosclerosis - pathology; Biomarkers - metabolism; Case-Control Studies; Cell Line; Chromatography, Liquid; Energy Metabolism; Female; Humans; Lipidomics; Macrophages - metabolism; Male; Metabolomics; Metabolomics - methods; Mice; Middle Aged; Oxidative Stress; Phenotype; Plaque, Atherosclerotic; Quinic acid; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
• ISSN: 0021-9150; 1879-1484
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.11.034

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by thickening of the arterial wall. However, a limited number of studies have been conducted on metabolic profiling of human aortic tissue. We applied liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to perform global and targeted profiling of plaque-containing aortic tissue. The aorta samples included plaque-containing (n = 18) and control plaque-free (n = 24) aortic tissue from patients undergoing aortic surgery. The metabolic patterns of atherosclerotic and control vessels were significantly different. Metabolites in the purine and glutathione pathways showed dysregulation of oxidative stress in plaques, and levels of glucosylceramide, tryptophan, and kynurenine, which are related to inflammation, were also altered. Interestingly, an increased level of quinic acid was observed in plaques (p