Identification of potential plasma biomarkers for abdominal aortic aneurysm using a metabolomics approach

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common and life-threatening disease in the aging population. Currently, no diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic drugs are available for AAA in clinical practice. Uncovering the metabolic signatures of AAA may provide new insights into AAA pathogenesis and promote the exploration of potential novel metabolic biomarkers. In the present study, we applied high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)-based metabolomics to analyze plasma samples from AAA patients and controls. A total of 115 differentially abundant metabolites were identified, and these metabolites were mainly enriched in retinol metabolism, glutathione metabolism, purine metabolism, D-amino acid metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, porphyrin metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism. After biomarker screening in the discovery cohort and biomarker verification in the validation cohort, 28 potential metabolite biomarkers of AAA were identified. Further analysis revealed that three metabolites, 5-Delta-Hydroxybutyl Hydantoin, 2-Amino-4-[(2-hydroxy-1-oxopropyl) amino] butanoic acid, and 15(R),19(R)-hydroxy PGF2, exhibited excellent sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AAA, with AUC values of 0.997, 0.989 and 0.978, respectively. This study identified potential novel plasma biomarkers of AAA, which could contribute to the discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for this disease.