Author/Authors :
Chashmniam, Saeed Department of Chemistry - Sharif University of Technology, Tehran , Hashemi Madani, Nahid Endocrine Research Center - Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran , Nobakht Mothlagh Ghoochani, BiBi Fatemeh Chemical Injuries Research Center - Systems Biology and Poisoning Institute - Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran , Safari-Alighiarloo, Nahid Endocrine Research Center - Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran , Khamseh, Mohammad E. Endocrine Research Center - Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism - Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran
Abstract :
Objective(s): The molecular basis of “metabolically healthy obese” and “metabolically unhealthy nonobese”
phenotypes is not fully understood. Our objective was to identify metabolite patterns differing
in obese (metabolically healthy vs unhealthy (MHO vs MUHO)) and non-obese (metabolically healthy
vs unhealthy (MHNO vs MUHNO)) individuals.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 86 subjects stratified into four
groups using anthropometric and clinical measurements: MHO (21), MUHO (21), MHNO (22), and
MUHNO (22). Serum metabolites were profiled using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Multivariate
analysis was applied to uncover discriminant metabolites, and enrichment analysis was performed to
identify underlying pathways.
Results: Significantly higher levels of glutamine, asparagine, alanine, L-glutathione reduced,
2-aminobutyrate, taurine, betaine, and choline, and lower level of D-sphingosine were observed
in MHO group compared with MUHO. In comparison of MHNO and MUHNO groups, significantly
lower levels of alanine, glycine, glutamine, histidine, L-glutathione reduced, and betaine, and higher
levels of isoleucine, L-proline, cholic acid, and carnitine appeared in MUHNO individuals. Moreover,
significantly affected pathways included amino acid metabolism, urea cycle and ammonia recycling
in MUHO subjects and glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and ammonia recycling in
MUHNO members.
Conclusion: Literature review helped us to hint that altered levels of most metabolites might associate
to insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in MHO and MUHNO individuals, respectively. Besides,
abnormal amino acid metabolism and ammonia recycling involved in unhealthy phenotypes (MUHO,
MUHNO) might be associated with insulin resistance.
Keywords :
Metabolically healthy obese , Metabolically unhealthynon- obese , Metabolomics , Obesity , 1H-NMR