Diagnostic biomarkers for USD via serum and urinary amino acid profiles using a metabolomics-based strategy

Abstract Background: Urinary stone disease (USD) is a common disease with a high prevalence, a high recurrence rate and a lack of effective diagnostic biomarkers.Methods: To explore the potential biomarkers for USD early diagnosis, the serum and urinary amino acid (AA) profiles of 74 USD patients were compared with 35 healthy controls (HC) via gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Results: Based on the serum and urinary AA profiles analyzed by metabolomic strategy, a group of 5 differentially expressed AAs including Ser, Glu, Asp, Ile and Gly and 7 metabolic pathway disorders in patients were revealed.Conclusions: These serum and urinary AA profiles could provided clinical biomarkers for USD early diagnosis, and also indicated that some specific AA metabolic pathways might play important roles in the pathogenesis of USD.