Fatty acid metabolomic profile of frail patients in the elderly
10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-9026.2023.04.005
- VernacularTitle:老年衰弱患者的脂肪酸代谢组学特征
- Author:
Shuang MA
1
;
Chao CHEN
;
Zhen ZHANG
;
Shuaixuan XU
;
Mengyu CAO
;
Jinwei LIU
;
Fang WANG
;
Nihui ZHANG
;
Nan PENG
Author Information
1. 中国人民解放军总医院研究生院，北京 100853
- Keywords:
Fatty acids;
Metabolic networks and pathways;
Frailty;
Biological markers
- From:
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics
2023;42(4):404-409
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the metabolic profile of fatty acids in elderly frail patients, and its value as a biomarker of frailty.Methods:Forty-nine older adults were recruited, of whom 19 were non-frail while 15 were in the pre-frail or frail phase.Targeted metabolomics was used to detect the serum levels of fatty acids, concerning 38 short-, medium-and long-chain fatty acids.Results:Metabolomics indicated elevated levels of 9 long-chain fatty acids in the serum of the elderly frail patients, with a 1.056-fold increase in the risk of fatigue for every 1 unit increase in the level of HOMO-γ-linolenic acid( OR=2.056, P=0.016). No metabolic differences were found between the pre-frail and non-frail groups.Three and seven long-chain fatty acids were negatively correlated with the grip strength and gait speed, respectively.The γ-linolenic acid was positively correlated with body mass index(BMI), percent body fat, visceral fat area and other indicators reflecting adipose tissue.However, no correlation was found between skeletal muscle, laboratory indicators or fatty acids.Five metabolic pathways were correlated with frailty, namely fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid elongation in mitochondria, linoleic acid metabolism and α-linolenic acid metabolism. Conclusions:Nine unsaturated fatty acids, including HOMO-γ-linolenic acid and γ-linolenic acid, may be potential biomarkers of frailty in the elderly.However, the value of fatty acid metabolomics for identifying pre-frail elderly people needs to be further investigated.
