GC/MS-based differential metabolic profiling of human peptic ulcer disease to study Helicobacter pylori-induced metabolic perturbations

Helicobacter pylori infection has been significantly linked to Peptic Ulcer Disease and Gastric Cancer. Metabolomic fingerprinting may offer a principal way of early diagnosis and to understand the molecular mechanism of H. pylori-induced pathogenicity. The rationale of the study is to explore the underlying distinct metabolic mechanisms of H. pylori-induced PUD and to identify potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and associated risks using Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. GC/MS-based analytical method was used to compare metabolic profiles of healthy controls (N = 20) and peptic ulcer patients (N = 45). Acquired metabolomic data were analyzed by constructing a diagnostic model using principal component analysis and a non-parametric two-tailed paired Wilcoxon analysis to identify disease-specific metabolic biomarkers. A total of 75 low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites were detected during comparative metabolomic analysis of PUD vs. healthy gut tissues, among which 16 metabolites are being proposed to be diagnostic markers of Human PUD. Perturbations related to amino acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, organic acids, and sterol metabolism were significantly revealed during this differential metabolomic profiling. Results convincingly suggest that metabolic profiles can contribute immensely in early diagnosis of the disease and understanding molecular mechanisms of disease progression for predicting novel drug targets for prophylactic and anaphylactic measures.