Plasma Metabolomic Profile in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

• Published in: Metabolism, clinical and experimental clinical and experimental, 2010-04, Vol.60 (3), p.404-413
• Main Authors: Kalhan, Satish C., Guo, Lining, Edmison, John, Dasarathy, Srinivasan, McCullough, Arthur J., Hanson, Richard W., Milburn, Mike
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0026-0495; 1532-8600
• DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2010.03.006

The plasma profile of subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), steatosis and steatohepatitis (NASH), was examined using an untargeted global metabolomic analysis in order to identify specific disease-related pattern/s and to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers. Plasma samples were obtained after an overnight fast from histologically confirmed non-diabetic subjects with hepatic steatosis (N=11) or NASH (N=24), and compared with healthy, age and sex-matched controls (n=25). Subjects with NAFLD were obese, were insulin resistant and had higher plasma concentration of homocysteine and total cysteine and lower plasma concentrations of total glutathione. Metabolomic analysis showed markedly higher levels of glycocholate, taurocholate and glycochenodeoxycholate in subjects with NAFLD. Plasma concentrations of long chain fatty acids were lower and concentrations of free carnitine, butyrylcarnitine and methylbutyryl carnitine were higher in NASH. Several glutamyl dipeptides were higher, while cysteine-glutathione levels were lower in NASH and steatosis. Other changes included higher branched chain amino acids, phosphocholine, carbohydrates (glucose, mannose), lactate, pyruvate, and several unknown metabolites. Random forest analysis and recursive partitioning of the metabolomic data could separate healthy subjects from NAFLD with an error rate of ~8%, and NASH from healthy controls with an error rate of 4%. Hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis could not be separated using the metabolomic profile.