METABOLIC BIOSIGNATURES OF FRAILTY IN AN ELDERLY SPANISH POPULATION

Abstract

AbstractIncrease in life expectancy actually represent an increased burden of disability. Frailty involves a decreased capacity to respond to demands because of diminishing of functional reserves and precedes disability in most of the cases. Frailty encompasses changes associated with ageing, life styles, chronic diseases and the interactions among them. Recent findings suggest that changes associated with sarcopenia and with the balance between production and use of energy may be among the most relevant factors associated with frailty. Early detection of subclinical changes is key to preventing or delaying the development of frailty. Metabolomics is the systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind. By measuring metabolic reagents and end products, metabolomics represents a unique molecular phenotype integrating the influence of genotypes, lifestyle and environment. In the present study, we present blood serum metabolomic biosignatures of robustness, pre-frailty and frailty in a Spanish elderly population from Toledo cohort. Poly and mono unsaturated fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids, trimethylamine and derivatives, and total creatine contribute the most to these specific biosignatures. In addition, inter-metabolites correlations in the frailty subgroup show dramatic differences with respect robustness especially in mitochondrial metabolites and lipids. Our results suggest that metabolic changes, detectable by NMR metabolomics, precede the clinical onset of frailty. This represent a robust, cheap, reproducible and rapid approach that may help in early detection of frailty, better therapeutic and preventive strategies and personalized management of the patient.