Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study
The assessment, management, and prognostication of spinal cord injury (SCI) mainly rely upon observer-based ordinal scales measures. <sup>1</sup>H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides an effective approach for the discovery of objective biomarkers from biofluids. These...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Metabolites |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/5/605 |
| _version_ | 1797599166202904576 |
|---|---|
| author | Elani A. Bykowski Jamie N. Petersson Sean Dukelow Chester Ho Chantel T. Debert Tony Montina Gerlinde A. S. Metz |
| author_facet | Elani A. Bykowski Jamie N. Petersson Sean Dukelow Chester Ho Chantel T. Debert Tony Montina Gerlinde A. S. Metz |
| author_sort | Elani A. Bykowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The assessment, management, and prognostication of spinal cord injury (SCI) mainly rely upon observer-based ordinal scales measures. <sup>1</sup>H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides an effective approach for the discovery of objective biomarkers from biofluids. These biomarkers have the potential to aid in understanding recovery following SCI. This proof-of-principle study determined: (a) If temporal changes in blood metabolites reflect the extent of recovery following SCI; (b) whether changes in blood-derived metabolites serve as prognostic indicators of patient outcomes based on the spinal cord independence measure (SCIM); and (c) whether metabolic pathways involved in recovery processes may provide insights into mechanisms that mediate neural damage and repair. Morning blood samples were collected from male complete and incomplete SCI patients (<i>n</i> = 7) following injury and at 6 months post-injury. Multivariate analyses were used to identify changes in serum metabolic profiles and were correlated to clinical outcomes. Specifically, acetyl phosphate, 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid, 1,9-dimethyluric acid, and acetic acid significantly related to SCIM scores. These preliminary findings suggest that specific metabolites may serve as proxy measures of the SCI phenotype and prognostic markers of recovery. Thus, serum metabolite analysis combined with machine learning holds promise in understanding the physiology of SCI and aiding in prognosticating outcomes following injury. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:30:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb1f317cacd54f709f68ec6d8329537a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:30:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabolites |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb1f317cacd54f709f68ec6d8329537a2023-11-18T02:25:13ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892023-04-0113560510.3390/metabo13050605Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot StudyElani A. Bykowski0Jamie N. Petersson1Sean Dukelow2Chester Ho3Chantel T. Debert4Tony Montina5Gerlinde A. S. Metz6Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, CanadaCanadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, CanadaDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaDivision of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R7, CanadaDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaSouthern Alberta Genome Sciences Centre, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, CanadaCanadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, CanadaThe assessment, management, and prognostication of spinal cord injury (SCI) mainly rely upon observer-based ordinal scales measures. <sup>1</sup>H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides an effective approach for the discovery of objective biomarkers from biofluids. These biomarkers have the potential to aid in understanding recovery following SCI. This proof-of-principle study determined: (a) If temporal changes in blood metabolites reflect the extent of recovery following SCI; (b) whether changes in blood-derived metabolites serve as prognostic indicators of patient outcomes based on the spinal cord independence measure (SCIM); and (c) whether metabolic pathways involved in recovery processes may provide insights into mechanisms that mediate neural damage and repair. Morning blood samples were collected from male complete and incomplete SCI patients (<i>n</i> = 7) following injury and at 6 months post-injury. Multivariate analyses were used to identify changes in serum metabolic profiles and were correlated to clinical outcomes. Specifically, acetyl phosphate, 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid, 1,9-dimethyluric acid, and acetic acid significantly related to SCIM scores. These preliminary findings suggest that specific metabolites may serve as proxy measures of the SCI phenotype and prognostic markers of recovery. Thus, serum metabolite analysis combined with machine learning holds promise in understanding the physiology of SCI and aiding in prognosticating outcomes following injury.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/5/605metabolomicsbloodnuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopyneurorehabilitationfunctional recoverytraumatic spinal cord injury |
| spellingShingle | Elani A. Bykowski Jamie N. Petersson Sean Dukelow Chester Ho Chantel T. Debert Tony Montina Gerlinde A. S. Metz Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study Metabolites metabolomics blood nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy neurorehabilitation functional recovery traumatic spinal cord injury |
| title | Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Identification of Serum Metabolites as Prognostic Biomarkers Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | identification of serum metabolites as prognostic biomarkers following spinal cord injury a pilot study |
| topic | metabolomics blood nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy neurorehabilitation functional recovery traumatic spinal cord injury |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/5/605 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elaniabykowski identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT jamienpetersson identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT seandukelow identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT chesterho identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT chanteltdebert identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT tonymontina identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy AT gerlindeasmetz identificationofserummetabolitesasprognosticbiomarkersfollowingspinalcordinjuryapilotstudy |