Serum metabolomic profiles from patients with acute kidney injury: A pilot study

Low sensitivity of current clinical markers (serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)) in early stages of the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) limits their utility. Rapid LC/MS-based metabolic profiling of serum demonstrated in a pilot study that metabolomics could provide novel indicators of AKI. Metabolic profiles of serum samples from seventeen hospitalized patients with newly diagnosed AKI were compared with the profiles of serum from age-matched subjects with normal kidney function. Increases in acylcarnitines and amino acids (methionine, homocysteine, pyroglutamate, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and phenylalanine) and a reduction in serum levels of arginine and several lysophosphatidyl cholines were observed in patients with AKI compared to healthy subjects. Increases in homocysteine, ADMA and pyroglutamate have been recognized as biomarkers of cardiovascular and renal disease, and acylcarnitines represent biomarkers of defective fatty acid oxidation. The results of this pilot study demonstrate the utility of metabolomics in the discovery of novel serum biomarkers that can facilitate the diagnosis and determine prognosis of AKI in hospitalized patients.

► LC/MS-based metabolic profiling of serum discovered novel indicators of AKI.
► Homocysteine, pyroglutamate and dimethylarginine (ADMA) increased in AKI patients.
► Homocysteine and ADMA are good indicators of AKI.
► Increases in acylcarnitines indicated fatty acid oxidation inhibited in AKI patients.