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Plasma lipidomic profiling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is linked to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, not completely explained by traditional risk factors. Importantly, the increased risk occurs despite lower levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Whilst systemic inflammation may be a factor, it is possible that changes in individual lipid species contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk.

Objectives

In the present study, we characterized plasma lipidomic profiles in patients with RA in comparison with healthy controls.

Methods

Patients with RA (n = 32) and age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (n = 84) were recruited. Fasting plasma lipid profiles were measured using electrospray-ionisation tandem mass spectrometry. 24 lipid classes and subclasses were measured.

Results

Patients with RA had normal total, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but higher triglycerides than controls. Five lipid classes (dihydroceramides, alkylphosphatidylethanolamine, alkenylphosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine) differed between patients with RA and controls. Then we measured 36 lipid species within these 5 classes and found that 11 lipid species were different between patients with RA and controls. Three lipid classes (dihydroceramides, lysophosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine) and 10 lipid species remained significantly associated with RA after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, current smoking, systolic blood pressure and anti-hypertensive treatment in a binary logistic regression model.

Conclusion

This study has identified lipid alterations in RA. These alterations of lipids warrant further investigation as they may be associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and joint inflammation in patient with RA.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the clinic support staff in the Rheumatology Clinic of the Alfred Hospital and the Risk Evaluation Service of Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute for help with the clinical aspects of this study. The study was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) program Grant to AMD and the Operational Infrastructure Support (OIS) Program of the Victorian Government, Australia. AMD is a Senior Principal Research Fellow (586656) and PJM is a NHMRC senior research fellow (1042095).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

      Lu Fang, Piyushkumar A. Mundra, Fenling Fan, Jacquelyn M. Weir, Gerard Wong, Jaye Chin-Dusting, Peter Meikle & Anthony Michael Dart

    2. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

      Fenling Fan, Abby Galvin & Anthony Michael Dart

    3. Department of Rheumatology, the Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

      Flavia Cicuttini

    4. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, China

      Fenling Fan

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    1. Lu Fang
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    2. Piyushkumar A. Mundra
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    Correspondence to Lu Fang or Peter Meikle.

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    The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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    The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Alfred Hospital.

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    Lu Fang and Piyushkumar A Mundra have contributed to the work equally.

    Peter Meikle and Anthony Michael Dart are Joint senior Authors.

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    Fang, L., Mundra, P.A., Fan, F. et al. Plasma lipidomic profiling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Metabolomics 12, 136 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-016-1086-6

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