Potential of metabolomic analysis for searching for new predictors of atrial fibrillation in patients with coronary artery disease

Despite ongoing efforts, limited understanding of the fundamental causes of atrial fibrillation (AF) continues to hinder progress in its diagnosis and treatment. Pathogenetic processes that determine the development of AF are closely related to cellular metabolism, in this regard, metabolomics is a promising direction for the search for new biomarkers, studying the metabolic mechanisms of AF, and identifying potential therapeutic targets. Material and methods. The open, crosssectional, retrospective, non-randomized parallel group study included data from 34 female and male patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). The patients were divided into two groups: the first group consisted of patients with CAD and AF (n = 17), the second ‒ of patients with CAD without AF (n = 17). Metabolomic profiling was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Results and discussion. In total, 56 metabolites were identified, the content of which in the blood plasma of the groups of patients with and without AF differed statistically significantly. Conclusions. The presented data indicate the involvement of a number of metabolites in energy, amino acid and lipid metabolism, as well as in the mechanisms of inflammation and fibrosis. These compounds play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AF and can be considered as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease.

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