Plasma metabolomic profiling of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients before and after surgical myectomy suggests postoperative improvement in metabolic function

Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited heart disorder complicated by left ventricle outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction, which can be treated with surgical myectomy. To date, no reliable biomarkers for LVOT obstruction exist. We hypothesized that metabolomic biomarkers for LVOT obstruction may be detectable in plasma from HCM patients. Methods We conducted metabolomic profiling on plasma samples of 18 HCM patients before and after surgical myectomy, using a commercially available metabolomics platform. Results We found that 215 metabolites were altered in the postoperative state (p-value < 0.05). 12 of these metabolites were notably significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons (q-value < 0.05), including bilirubin, PFOS, PFOA, 3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-hydroxylaurate, trigonelline and 6 unidentified compounds, which support improved organ metabolic function and increased lean soft tissue mass. Conclusions These findings suggest improved organ metabolic function after surgical relief of LVOT obstruction in HCM and further underscore the beneficial systemic effects of surgical myectomy.

Automated summary

This study identified changes in metabolites in the plasma of HCM patients after surgery, with some metabolites associated with improved organ metabolic function and increased lean soft tissue mass.