Pathophysiologic processes have an impact on the plasma metabolomic signature of endometriosis patients

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate potential variations in the plasma metabolomic profile of endometriosis patients as a consequence of pathophysiologic alterations associated with this disorder.

Design: Prospective study. For each subject, a plasma sample was collected after overnight fasting and before surgery.

Setting: University medical center.

Patient(s): The clinical cohort included 50 endometriosis patients, diagnosed at early (n = 6) and advanced (n = 44) stages of the disease, and 23 healthy women. All volunteers underwent diagnostic laparoscopy to visually confirm the presence or absence of endometriotic lesions.

Intervention(s): Metabolomic profiling of plasma samples based on ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in combination with statistical approaches.

Main outcome measure(s): Comparative identification of metabolites present in plasma from endometriosis patients and healthy women.

Result(s): The plasma metabolomic profile of endometriosis patients was characterized by increased concentration of valine, fucose, choline-containing metabolites, lysine/arginine, and lipoproteins and decreased concentration of creatinine compared with healthy women. Metabolic alterations identified in the plasma metabolomic profile of endometriosis patients correlate with pathophysiologic events previously described in the progression of this disease.

Conclusion(s): The results highlight the potential of ¹H-NMR-based metabolomics to characterize metabolic alterations associated with endometriosis in plasma samples. This information could be useful to get a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, thus facilitating the noninvasive diagnosis of this pathology at early stages.

Keywords: (1)H-NMR spectroscopy; Endometriosis; biomarkers; metabolomics; plasma.