Metabolomic consequences of genetic inhibition of PCSK9 compared with statin treatment.

Background: Both statins and PCSK9 inhibitors lower blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to reduce risk of cardiovascular events. To assess potential differences between metabolic effects of these two lipid-lowering therapies, we performed detailed lipid and metabolite profiling of a large randomized statin trial and compared the results with the effects of genetic inhibition of PCSK9, acting as a naturally occurring trial. Methods: 228 circulating metabolic measures were quantified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, including lipoprotein subclass concentrations and their lipid composition, fatty acids, and amino acids, for 5,359 individuals (2,659 on treatment) in the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) trial at 6-months post-randomization. The corresponding metabolic measures were analyzed in eight population cohorts (N=72,185) using PCSK9 rs11591147 as an unconfounded proxy to mimic the therapeutic effects of PCSK9 inhibitors. Results: Scaled to an equivalent lowering of LDL-C, the effects of genetic inhibition of PCSK9 on 228 metabolic markers were generally consistent with those of statin therapy (R2=0.88). Alterations in lipoprotein lipid composition and fatty acid distribution were similar. However, discrepancies were observed for very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) lipid measures. For instance, genetic inhibition of PCSK9 had weaker effects on lowering of VLDL-cholesterol compared with statin therapy (54% vs. 77% reduction, relative to the lowering effect on LDL-C; P=2x10-7 for heterogeneity). Genetic inhibition of PCSK9 showed no significant effects on amino acids, ketones, or a marker of inflammation (GlycA) whereas statin treatment weakly lowered GlycA levels. Conclusions: Genetic inhibition of PCSK9 had similar metabolic effects to statin therapy on detailed lipid and metabolite profiles. However, PCSK9 inhibitors are predicted to have weaker effects on VLDL lipids compared with statins for an equivalent lowering of LDL-C, which potentially translate into smaller reductions in cardiovascular disease risk.

Circulating amino acids and the risk of macrovascular, microvascular and mortality outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes: results from the ADVANCE trial.

AIMS/HYPOTHESES: We aimed to quantify the association of individual circulating amino acids with macrovascular disease, microvascular disease and all-cause mortality in individuals with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We performed a case-cohort study (N = 3587), including 655 macrovascular events, 342 microvascular events (new or worsening nephropathy or retinopathy) and 632 all-cause mortality events during follow-up, in a secondary analysis of the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) study. For this study, phenylalanine, isoleucine, glutamine, leucine, alanine, tyrosine, histidine and valine were measured in stored plasma samples by proton NMR metabolomics. Hazard ratios were modelled per SD increase in each amino acid. RESULTS: In models investigating associations and potential mechanisms, after adjusting for age, sex and randomised treatment, phenylalanine was positively, and histidine inversely, associated with macrovascular disease risk. These associations were attenuated to the null on further adjustment for extended classical risk factors (including eGFR and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio). After adjustment for extended classical risk factors, higher tyrosine and alanine levels were associated with decreased risk of microvascular disease (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.67, 0.91 and HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.76, 0.98, respectively). Higher leucine (HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.69, 0.90), histidine (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81, 0.99) and valine (HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.70, 0.88) levels were associated with lower risk of mortality. Investigating the predictive ability of amino acids, addition of all amino acids to a risk score modestly improved classification of participants for macrovascular (continuous net reclassification index [NRI] +35.5%, p < 0.001) and microvascular events (continuous NRI +14.4%, p = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We report distinct associations between circulating amino acids and risk of different major complications of diabetes. Low tyrosine appears to be a marker of microvascular risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes independently of fundamental markers of kidney function.

Minimizing disease spread on a quarantined cruise ship: A model of COVID-19 with asymptomatic infections.

On February 5 the Japanese government ordered the passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess to start a two week quarantine after a former passenger tested positive for COVID-19. During the quarantine the virus spread rapidly throughout the ship. By February 20, there were 651 cases. We model this quarantine with a SEIR model including asymptomatic infections with differentiated shipboard roles for crew and passengers. The study includes the derivation of the basic reproduction number and simulation studies showing the effect of quarantine with COVID-19 or influenza on the total infection numbers. We show that quarantine on a ship with COVID-19 will lead to significant disease spread if asymptomatic infections are not identified. However, if the majority of the crew and passengers are immune or vaccinated to COVID-19, then quarantine would slow the spread. We also show that a disease similar to influenza, even with a ship with a fully susceptible crew and passengers, could be contained through quarantine measures.

High-throughput quantification of carboxymethyl lysine in serum and plasma using high-resolution accurate mass Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Carboxymethyl lysine is an advanced glycation end product of interest as a potential biomarker of cardiovascular and other diseases. Available methods involve ELISA, with potential interference, or isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS), with low-throughput sample preparation. METHODS: A high-throughput sample preparation method based on 96-well plates was developed. Protein-bound carboxymethyl lysine and lysine were quantified by IDMS using reversed phase chromatography coupled to a high-resolution accurate mass Orbitrap Exactive mass spectrometer. The carboxymethyl lysine concentration (normalized to lysine concentration) was measured in 1714 plasma samples from the British Regional Heart Study (BRHS). RESULTS: For carboxymethyl lysine, the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was estimated at 0.16 µM and the assay was linear between 0.25 and 10 µM. For lysine, the LLOQ was estimated at 3.79 mM, and the assay was linear between 2.5 and 100 mM. The intra-assay coefficient of variation was 17.2% for carboxymethyl lysine, 9.3% for lysine and 10.5% for normalized carboxymethyl lysine. The inter-assay coefficient of variation was 18.1% for carboxymethyl lysine, 14.8 for lysine and 16.2% for normalized carboxymethyl lysine. The median and inter-quartile range of all study samples in each batch were monitored. A mean carboxymethyl lysine concentration of 2.7 µM (IQR 2.0-3.2 µM, range 0.2-17.4 µM) and a mean normalized carboxymethyl lysine concentration of 69 µM/M lysine (IQR 54-76 µM/M, range 19-453 µM/M) were measured in the BRHS. CONCLUSION: This high-throughput sample preparation method makes it possible to analyse large cohorts required to determine the potential of carboxymethyl lysine as a biomarker.

Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics identifies phenylalanine as a novel predictor of incident heart failure hospitalisation: results from PROSPER and FINRISK 1997.

AIMS: We investigated the association between quantified metabolite, lipid and lipoprotein measures and incident heart failure hospitalisation (HFH) in the elderly, and examined whether circulating metabolic measures improve HFH prediction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overall, 80 metabolic measures from the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) trial were measured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (n = 5341; 182 HFH events during 2.7-year follow-up). We repeated the work in FINRISK 1997 (n = 7330; 133 HFH events during 5-year follow-up). In PROSPER, the circulating concentrations of 13 metabolic measures were found to be significantly different in those who were later hospitalised for heart failure after correction for multiple comparisons. These included creatinine, phenylalanine, glycoprotein acetyls, 3-hydroxybutyrate, and various high-density lipoprotein measures. In Cox models, two metabolites were associated with risk of HFH after adjustment for clinical risk factors and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP): phenylalanine [hazard ratio (HR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.53; P = 0.002] and acetate (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68-0.98; P = 0.026). Both were retained in the final model after backward elimination. Compared to a model with established risk factors and NT-proBNP, this model did not improve the C-index but did improve the overall continuous net reclassification index (NRI 0.21; 95% CI 0.06-0.35; P = 0.007) due to improvement in classification of non-cases (NRI 0.14; 95% CI 0.12-0.17; P < 0.001). Phenylalanine was replicated as a predictor of HFH in FINRISK 1997 (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.03-1.48; P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Our findings identify phenylalanine as a novel predictor of incident HFH, although prediction gains are low. Further mechanistic studies appear warranted.

Applying metabolomics to cardiometabolic intervention studies and trials: past experiences and a roadmap for the future.

Metabolomics and lipidomics are emerging methods for detailed phenotyping of small molecules in samples. It is hoped that such data will: (i) enhance baseline prediction of patient response to pharmacotherapies (beneficial or adverse); (ii) reveal changes in metabolites shortly after initiation of therapy that may predict patient response, including adverse effects, before routine biomarkers are altered; and( iii) give new insights into mechanisms of drug action, particularly where the results of a trial of a new agent were unexpected, and thus help future drug development. In these ways, metabolomics could enhance research findings from intervention studies. This narrative review provides an overview of metabolomics and lipidomics in early clinical intervention studies for investigation of mechanisms of drug action and prediction of drug response (both desired and undesired). We highlight early examples from drug intervention studies associated with cardiometabolic disease. Despite the strengths of such studies, particularly the use of state-of-the-art technologies and advanced statistical methods, currently published studies in the metabolomics arena are largely underpowered and should be considered as hypothesis-generating. In order for metabolomics to meaningfully improve stratified medicine approaches to patient treatment, there is a need for higher quality studies, with better exploitation of biobanks from randomized clinical trials i.e. with large sample size, adjudicated outcomes, standardized procedures, validation cohorts, comparison witth routine biochemistry and both active and control/placebo arms. On the basis of this review, and based on our research experience using clinically established biomarkers, we propose steps to more speedily advance this area of research towards potential clinical impact.

The emergence of proton nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics in the cardiovascular arena as viewed from a clinical perspective.

The ability to phenotype metabolic profiles in serum has increased substantially in recent years with the advent of metabolomics. Metabolomics is the study of the metabolome, defined as those molecules with an atomic mass less than 1.5 kDa. There are two main metabolomics methods: mass spectrometry (MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy, each with its respective benefits and limitations. MS has greater sensitivity and so can detect many more metabolites. However, its cost (especially when heavy labelled internal standards are required for absolute quantitation) and quality control is sub-optimal for large cohorts. (1)H NMR is less sensitive but sample preparation is generally faster and analysis times shorter, resulting in markedly lower analysis costs. (1)H NMR is robust, reproducible and can provide absolute quantitation of many metabolites. Of particular relevance to cardio-metabolic disease is the ability of (1)H NMR to provide detailed quantitative data on amino acids, fatty acids and other metabolites as well as lipoprotein subparticle concentrations and size. Early epidemiological studies suggest promise, however, this is an emerging field and more data is required before we can determine the clinical utility of these measures to improve disease prediction and treatment. This review describes the theoretical basis of (1)H NMR; compares MS and (1)H NMR and provides a tabular overview of recent (1)H NMR-based research findings in the atherosclerosis field, describing the design and scope of studies conducted to date. (1)H NMR metabolomics-CVD related research is emerging, however further large, robustly conducted prospective, genetic and intervention studies are needed to advance research on CVD risk prediction and to identify causal pathways amenable to intervention.