Metabolomic Analysis of Clinical Plasma from Cerebral Infarction Patients Presenting with Blood Stasis

Abstract EN

Blood stasis (BS) is characterized as a disorder of blood circulation.

In traditional Korean medicine (TKM), it is viewed as a cause factor of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and stroke.

This study investigated differences in the plasma metabolites profiles of subjects displaying BS or non-BS patterns.

Thirty-one patients with cerebral infarction diagnosed with BS and an equal number of sex- and age-matched non-BS patients were enrolled.

Metabolic profiling was performed using UPLC-MS.

The ratio of subjects with a rough pulse and purple coloration of the tongue was higher in patients presenting with BS pattern.

Through metabolomics analysis, 82 metabolites that differed significantly between the BS and non-BS pattern were identified, and the two groups were significantly separated using an orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis model (P<0.001).

Of these 82 metabolites, acetyl carnitine, leucine, kynurenine, phosphocholine, hexanoyl carnitine, and decanoyl carnitine were present in significantly higher levels in patients with a BS pattern than those with a non-BS pattern.

Our results also demonstrated that seven plasma metabolites, including acyl-carnitines and kynurenine, were associated with a BS pattern, suggesting that variant plasma metabolic profiles may serve as a biomarker for diagnosis of BS in patients with cerebral infarction.