Variations in plasma choline and metabolite concentrations in healthy adults

• Published in: Clinical biochemistry 2018-09, Vol.60, p.77-83
• Main Authors: Wiedeman, Alejandra M., Dyer, Roger A., Green, Timothy J., Xu, Zhaoming, Barr, Susan I., Innis, Sheila M., Kitts, David D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Biomarker; Choline status; Fasting; Intra-individual variability; Post-prandial
• ISSN: 0009-9120; 1873-2933
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2018.08.002

Plasma concentrations of choline and its metabolites might serve as biomarkers for the health outcomes of several pathological states such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, information about the reliability of biomarkers of choline status is limited. We investigated biological variations in repeated measures of choline and metabolites in healthy adults to assess them as biomarkers. Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast at three-time points 12 days apart from 40 adults (mean age, 33 y; male, n = 21). A subset (n = 19; [male, n = 8]) provided one additional sample after a breakfast meal. Plasma free choline, betaine and dimethylglycine were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and plasma phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The biological variations observed for choline and metabolites were ≤ 13% for adult fasting samples. This corresponded to intra-class correlations (ICC) that ranged from 0.593 to 0.770 for fasting values for choline and metabolites. A similar ICC range was also obtained between fasting and post-prandial states. Although most post-prandial concentrations of choline and metabolites were significantly higher (P