OBJECTIVETo research the plasmic metabolites and metabolic pathway of Xin-blood stasis syndrome (XBSS).

METHODSPlasma metabolic products in patients of coronary heart disease (CHD) with XBSS or non-XBSS and subjects in the control group were identified by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry (GC-MS) type QP2010, the changes of their main elements in different groups were analyzed by principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) analysis.

RESULTSPCA showed that as compared with that in the control group, in the CHD-XBSS group, contents of lactic acid, beta-hydroxy butanoic acid, urea, oleic acid, octadecanoic acid and arachidonic acid were higher and that of citric acid was lower. PLS analysis showed significant difference between the control group and the other two groups, and the latter two groups tend to be of a same category. The occurrence of XBSS was positively correlated with octadecanoic acid, arachidonic acid, urea, lactic acid and beta-hydroxy, butanoic acid contents, and negatively correlated with oleic acid, L-proline, glycine, and citric acid contents. According to VIP, the degree of correlation between variables with drug interven- tion, from high to low, were ranked as arachidonic acid, octadecanoic acid, lactic acid, urea, beta-hydroxy butanoic acid, linoleic acid, glucose, alanine, oleic acid and proline. Discrepancy analysis on 11 changeful metabolites showed that the contents of arachidonic acid, octadecanoic acid, lactic acid, urea, beta-hydroxy butanoic acid and oleic acid increased in CHD patients, especially in those with XBSS (P < 0.01). In CHD patients, contents of lactic acid, beta-hydroxy butanoic acid, linoleic acid and glucose in patients of XBSS pattern were higher than in non-XBSS pattern (P < 0.01); content of linoleic acid, glucose, alanine and proline decreased in non-XBSS pattern while increased in XBSS pattern. Content of glucose in CHD-XBSS patients was significantly higher than that in the healthy control (P < 0.01). Content of citric acid was lower in CHD patients, and showed significant difference between that in CHD-XBSS patients and healthy control (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe major plasmic metabolites in CHD-XBSS patients are arachidonic acid, octadecanoic acid, lactic acid, urea, citric acid, beta-hydroxybutyric acid, oleic acid, glucose, and alanine. Analyzed from plasmic metabolite spectrum view, CHD-XBSS is related with lipid metabolism and glyco-metabolism, also with the stress induced by hypoxia and agonia.