Abstract
BackgroundAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading disease associated with blindness. It has a high incidence and complex pathogenesis. We aimed to study the metabolomic characteristics in Chinese patients with wet AMD by analyzing the morning plasma of 20 healthy controls and 20 wet AMD patients for metabolic differences.MethodsWe used ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography and quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for this analysis. The relationship of these differences with AMD pathophysiology was also assessed. Remaining data were normalized using Pareto scaling, and then valid data were handled using multivariate data analysis with MetaboAnalysis software, including unsupervised principal component analysis and supervised partial least squares-discriminate analysis. The purpose of the present work was to identify significant metabolites for the analyses. Hierarchical clustering was conducted to identify metabolites that differed between the two groups. Significant metabolites were then identified using the established database, and features were mapped on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.ResultsA total of 5443 ion peaks were detected, all of them attributable to the same 10 metabolites. These included some amino acids, isomaltose, hydrocortisone, and biliverdin. The heights of these peaks differed significantly between the two groups. The biosynthesis of amino acids pathways also differed profoundly between patients with wet AMD and controls.ConclusionsThese findings suggested that metabolic profiles and and pathways differed between wet AMD and controls and may provide promising new targets for AMD-directed therapeutics and diagnostics.
Highlights
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading disease associated with blindness
Metabolic disturbance has been found to be strongly associated with AMD, and certain metabolic pathways, such as some amino acid, organic acid, and urea metabolism, might be involved in AMD pathogenesis [13, 14]
Clinical characteristics This study was conducted on 20 patients with wet AMD (27 eyes, 11 men and 9 women, mean age 66.20 ± 11.51 years, mean duration 18.46 ± 17.55 months) and 20 controls without any clinical presentation of (11 men and 9 women, mean age 64.70 ± 11.60 years) AMD
Summary
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading disease associated with blindness It has a high incidence and complex pathogenesis. A study from Japan on the association between nutrient intake and wet AMD confirmed low intake of n-3 fatty acid, α-tocopherol, zinc, vitamins D and C, and β-carotene to be associated with wet AMD [16]. In this way, in the current study, ultra-highpressure liquid chromatography and quadrupole-timeof-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF MS) techniques were used to detect metabolic differences between Chinese patients with AMD and controls to assess the pathogenesis of and determine appropriate treatment for AMD
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