Investigation of early biochemical alterations in myocardia of the diabetic db/db mice by FTIR microspectroscopy combined with machine learning

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DbCM) is a serious complication of diabetes that affects about 12% of the diabetic population. Sensitive detection of diabetes-induced biochemical changes in the heart before symptoms appear can assist clinicians in developing targeted treatment plans and forensic pathologists in making accurate postmortem diagnoses. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy-based approach allows for the analysis of the sample biomolecular composition and variations. In the current study, the myocardial tissues of mouse models of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at various ages (7, 12, and 21 weeks) were analyzed using FTIR microspectroscopy (FTIRM) in combination with machine learning algorithms. The carbonyl esters, olefinic=CH and CH2 groups of lipids, total lipids, saccharides, and beta-sheet to alpha-helix conformational transition in proteins increased significantly in diabetic mice myocardial tissues compared to healthy mice. Furthermore, partial least-squares discriminant analysis and random forest-guided partial least-squares discriminant analysis revealed the time-dependent progression of the spectral lipidomic profiles during the development of DbCM. Finally, a random forest classifier was developed for diagnosing DbCM, with 97.1% accuracy. This study demonstrates that FTIRM is a novel method for monitoring early biochemical changes in the myocardia of mice with T2DM. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DbCM) is a serious complication of diabetes that affects approximately 12% of diabetic individuals. This study utilized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms to analyze myocardial tissues of mouse models with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The results revealed significant changes in lipid, carbohydrate, and protein composition in the diabetic mice myocardial tissues compared to healthy mice. The spectral lipidomic profiles also demonstrated a time-dependent progression during the development of DbCM. A random forest classifier was developed with a 97.1% accuracy for diagnosing DbCM. This study demonstrates the potential of FTIR microspectroscopy as a novel method for early detection of biochemical changes in the myocardia of mice with T2DM.