4.6 Article

Metabolomics As a Tool for the Characterization of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Journal

FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
Volume 8, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00459

Keywords

metabolomics; epilepsy; drug-resistant epilepsy; biomarkers; ketone bodies

Funding

  1. Regione Autonoma Sardegna [LR7/2007, CRP 18488]
  2. MRC [MR/P011705/1, MR/P01836X/1, MC_UP_A090_1006] Funding Source: UKRI
  3. Medical Research Council [MR/P011705/1, MR/P01836X/1, MC_UP_A090_1006] Funding Source: researchfish

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Purpose: Drug resistance is a critical issue in the treatment of epilepsy, contributing to clinical emergencies and increasing both serious social and economic burdens on the health system. The wide variety of potential drug combinations followed by often failed consecutive attempts to match drugs to an individual patient may mean that this treatment stage may last for years with suboptimal benefit to the patient. Given these challenges, it is valuable to explore the availability of new methodologies able to shorten the period of determining a rationale pharmacologic treatment. Metabolomics could provide such a tool to investigate possible markers of drug resistance in subjects with epilepsy. Methods: Blood samples were collected from (1) controls (C) (n = 35), (2) patients with epilepsy responder (R) (n = 18), and (3) patients with epilepsy non-responder (NR) (n = 17) to the drug therapy. The samples were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by multivariate statistical analysis. Key findings: A different metabolic profile based on metabolomics analysis of the serum was observed between C and patients with epilepsy and also between R and NR patients. It was possible to identify the discriminant metabolites for the three classes under investigation. Serum from patients with epilepsy were characterized by increased levels of 3-OH-butyrate, 2-OH-valerate, 2-OH-butyrate, acetoacetate, acetone, acetate, choline, alanine, glutamate, scyllo-inositol (C < R < NR), and decreased concentration of glucose, lactate, and citrate compared to C (C > R > NR). Significance: In conclusion, metabolomics may represent an important tool for discovery of differences between subjects affected by epilepsy responding or resistant to therapies and for the study of its pathophysiology, optimizing the therapeutic resources and the quality of life of patients.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available