Targeted and non-targeted metabolic time trajectory in plasma of patients after acute coronary syndrome

Metabolite fingerprinting (metabolomics/metabonomics) is perfectly suited for assessing the biological response following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as relevant information can be identified in both the change and the absence of change in metabolite concentrations as time progresses post syndrome. During this study the metabolic pattern of plasma from patients at time points 0, four days, two months and six months after the onset of ACS were compared to controls using a non-targeted approach with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fatty acid profiles of the sample set were also analysed in a targeted way. The methods were employed with the aim to identify specific biomarkers, which vary with time. Using the non-targeted approach 27 statistically significant metabolites of interest were found: glucose, fructose, myoinositol, pyruvate, lactate, oxalate, citrate, isocitrate, succinate, malate, valine, alanine, serine, glycine, cysteine, threonine, aspartate, tryptophan, tyrosine, 4-hydroxyproline, 2-hydroxybutyrate, 2-aminobutyrate, 2,3,4-trihydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, creatinine and aminomalonate. In addition, the targeted analysis of 21 fatty acids revealed patients within the group ACS at day 0 had the highest values for all 21. After 4 days, values decreased and were maintained at a lower level during the 6 months. Whereas the overall fatty acid profile did not change, different patterns of concentration trajectories over time were identified, which can reflect the underlying metabolic alterations as a result of the initial ACS, interestingly these levels had not fully reverted six months later.