Disturbances in plasma aliphatic and aromatic amino acids metabolomic profiles in Egyptian obese women

Abstract

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Egypt ranks 18th with the highest prevalence of obesity worldwide. The impact of obesity is a result of its comorbidities rather than a direct effect. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to investigate its risk factors to establish its potential preventive strategies for future complications. This study aimed at investigating the disturbances in aliphatic and aromatic amino acids profiles in Egyptian obese women. Methods: The study comprised 85 women that were classified into 5 groups (17 each):1-healthy, 2-overweights, 3-moderate obese, 4-severe obese, 5-morbid obese. Plasma metabolomic profile of the previous amino acids was evaluated using an amino acid analyzer. Results: Compared with controls, obese subgroups had significantly stepwise higher levels in the mean plasma levels of tyrosine, total aromatic amino acids (AAA) and alanine together with significantly lower levels of leucine, isoleucine, total branched chain amino acids (BCAA), BCAA/AAA ratio and glycine. Conclusion: Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the significantly elevated circulating alanine levels were good independent predictors for identifying obese patients at risk of associated metabolic disorders. Moreover, the study suggested that AA metabolomic profile can be used as useful tools for early prediction of overweight women. Amino acids-directed regimens intervention could serve as a specific potential targeting strategy for management of obesity.