Untargeted metabolomic approach to study the serum metabolites in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is not only a kind of common endocrine syndrome but also a metabolic disorder, which harms the reproductive system and the whole body metabolism of the PCOS patients worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences in serum metabolic profiles of the patients with PCOS compared to the healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 31 PCOS patients and 31 matched healthy female controls were recruited in this study, the clinical characteristics data were recorded, the laboratory biochemical data were detected. Then, we utilized the metabolomics approach by UPLC-HRMS technology to study the serum metabolic changes between PCOS and controls. RESULTS: The metabolomics analysis showed that there were 68 downregulated and 78 upregulated metabolites in PCOS patients serum compared to those in the controls. These metabolites mainly belong to triacylglycerols, glycerophosphocholines, acylcarnitines, diacylglycerols, peptides, amino acids, glycerophosphoethanolamines and fatty acid. Pathway analysis showed that these metabolites were enriched in pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, fatty acid degradation, fatty acid biosynthesis, ether lipid metabolism, etc. Diagnosis value assessed by ROC analysis showed that the changed metabolites, including Leu–Ala/Ile–Ala, 3-(4-Hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid, Ile–Val/Leu–Val, Gly–Val/Val–Gly, aspartic acid, DG(34:2)_DG(16:0/18:2), DG(34:1)_DG(16:0/18:1), Phe–Trp, DG(36:1)_DG(18:0/18:1), Leu–Leu/Leu–Ile, had higher AUC values, indicated a significant role in PCOS. CONCLUSION: The present study characterized the difference of serum metabolites and related pathway profiles in PCOS patients, this finding hopes to provide potential metabolic markers for the prognosis and diagnosis of this disease.