Abstract
Background: Urine samples, which capture an individual’s metabolic profile, are ideal for the exploration of non-invasive biomarkers to confirm the amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) status of patients vs. unimpaired ones.Objective: We aimed to detect differentially metabolized amino acids, which are important objectives in metabolomics, garnering particular attention in biomedical pathogenesis from the urine of aMCI patients, which may give clinicians the possibility to intervene with early treatments that curb Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods: The study included 208 subjects, 98 of whom were aMCI patients, and 110 who were control subjects without dementia. Urine samples were taken from each participant and supernatant was obtained for analysis. The concentrations of amino acids were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).Results: Urinary arginine levels in aMCI patients are obviously lower than in normal controls (q < 0.2 and p < 0.05). Meanwhile, aMCI patients had significant reduced urinary global arginine bioavailability ratio (GABR), and GABR in urine displayed a positive correlation with the score of CMMSE.Conclusion: Urinary dysregulated arginine metabolism that may serve as a helpful clinical diagnostic biomarker for aMCI in older adults.
Highlights
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents an intermediate state of cognitive function that is between the level of cognition seen in healthy aging and the severely diminished capacity for cognition reflected in criteria for dementia, of which, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent in those over the age of 65 (Petersen et al, 1999)
We identified how well 20 naturally occurring amino acids distinguished between Amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients and normal control subjects in our community cohort (Table 3)
The significance of difference for arginine between the two groups, with lower urinary arginine levels in aMCI patients compared to normal controls, suggests that altered arginine metabolism occurs in aMCI patients
Summary
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents an intermediate state of cognitive function that is between the level of cognition seen in healthy aging and the severely diminished capacity for cognition reflected in criteria for dementia, of which, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent in those over the age of 65 (Petersen et al, 1999). Amnestic MCI (aMCI) is characterized by prominent forgetfulness but relative preservation of other cognitive abilities, such as executive function, and visuospatial skills. Studies to identify biomarkers for AD should focus on MCI or prodromal states of AD, especially aMCI. Urine samples, which capture an individual’s metabolic profile, are ideal for the exploration of non-invasive biomarkers to confirm the amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) status of patients vs unimpaired ones
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