Altered Serum Metabolic Profile Assessed by Advanced 1H-NMR in Breast Cancer Patients

Simple Summary Previously, our group demonstrated high FABP4 circulating levels in breast cancer (BC) patients. Moreover, increased cholesterol and triglycerides (TG) were found. To deeply analyse the lipid metabolism in our BC cohort, lipid and low molecular weight metabolomics processes are performed in 240 women (171 BC and 69 control women). This paper provides original data related to a novel link between TG-enriched particles and BC. The main result of this study is that TG-enriched particles and some branched amino acids, as well as tyrosine and alanine, are positively associated with BC. This suggests that BC patients have a different metabolic signature that could be used for better stratification and treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first time that advanced NMR profiling has been used to identify relevant and specifically altered lipid and amino acid metabolites in BC serum samples, which could be used for early and reliable diagnosis and prognosis. Background: Altered lipid metabolism has been described in some types of cancer. To analyse in depth the metabolic modifications in breast cancer patients, advanced 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance was performed in these patients. The main objective of this paper was to define a specific lipidomic signature for these cancer patients. Materials and methods: Serum from 240 women (171 breast cancer patients and 69 control women) were studied and analysed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Results: Triglyceride-enriched particles, specifically very low-density lipoprotein triglycerides, intermediate-density lipoprotein triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein triglycerides, were positively associated with breast cancer. Moreover, alanine, tyrosine, and branched amino acids were also associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Conclusions: Breast cancer patients showed a modified metabolome, giving a very interesting tool to draw different radar charts between control women and breast cancer patients. To our knowledge, this is the first time that advanced nuclear magnetic resonance profiling has been used to identify relevant and specifically altered lipid or amino acid metabolites in BC serum samples. The altered metabolic signature could be analysed for early and reliable BC patient diagnosis and prognosis.