The Association Between Acylcarnitine and Amino Acids Profile and Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Iranian Adults: Data From Steps 2016 Publisher



Taghizadeh H¹ ; Emamgholipour S² ; Hosseinkhani S³ ; Arjmand B⁴ ; Rezaei N⁵ ; Dilmaghanimarand A⁵ ; Ghasemi E⁵ ; Panahi N⁶ ; Dehghanbanadaki H⁶ ; Ghodssighassemabadi R⁷ ; Najjar N⁸ ; Asadi M⁹ ; Khoshniat M¹ ; Larijani B¹ Show All Authors Show Affiliations
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology Published:2023

Abstract

Background: Evidence, albeit with conflicting results, has suggested that cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), dyslipidemia, and hypertension, are highly associated with changes in metabolic signature, especially plasma amino acids and acylcarnitines levels. Here, we aimed to evaluate the association of circulating levels of amino acids and acylcarnitines with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Iranian adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1192 participants from the large–scale cross-sectional study of Surveillance of Risk Factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Iran (STEP 2016). The circulating levels of amino acids and acylcarnitines were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in individuals with MetS (n=529) and without MetS (n=663). Results: The higher plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids (Val, Leu), aromatic amino acids (Phe, Tyr), Pro, Ala, Glu, and the ratio of Asp to Asn were significantly associated with MetS, whereas lower circulating levels of Gly, Ser, His, Asn, and citrulline were significantly associated with MetS. As for plasma levels of free carnitine and acylcarnitines, higher levels of short-chain acylcarnitines (C2, C3, C4DC), free carnitine (C0), and long-chain acylcarnitines (C16, C18OH) were significantly associated with MetS. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that factor 3 (Tyr, Leu, Val, Met, Trp, Phe, Thr) [OR:1.165, 95% CI: 1.121-1.210, P<0.001], factor 7 (C0, C3, C4) [OR:1.257, 95% CI: 1.150-1.374, P<0.001], factor 8 (Gly, Ser) [OR:0.718, 95% CI: 0.651-0.793, P< 0.001], factor 9 (Ala, Pro, C4DC) [OR:1.883, 95% CI: 1.669-2.124, P<0.001], factor 10 (Glu, Asp, C18:2OH) [OR:1.132, 95% CI: 1.032-1.242, P= 0.009], factor 11 (citrulline, ornithine) [OR:0.862, 95% CI: 0.778-0.955, P= 0.004] and 13 (C18OH, C18:1 OH) [OR: 1.242, 95% CI: 1.042-1.480, P= 0.016] were independently correlated with metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: Change in amino acid, and acylcarnitines profiles were seen in patients with MetS. Moreover, the alteration in the circulating levels of amino acids and acylcarnitines is along with an increase in MetS component number. It also seems that amino acid and acylcarnitines profiles can provide valuable information on evaluating and monitoring MetS risk. However, further studies are needed to establish this concept. Copyright © 2023 Taghizadeh, Emamgholipour, Hosseinkhani, Arjmand, Rezaei, Dilmaghani-Marand, Ghasemi, Panahi, Dehghanbanadaki, Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi, Najjar, Asadi, khoshniat, Larijani and Razi.