Certain endogenous bile acids have been proposed as potential therapies for ameliorating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but their role, if any, in the pathophysiology of this disease is not currently known. Given recent evidence of bile acids having protective and anti-inflammatory effects on the brain, it is important to establish how AD affects levels of endogenous bile acids. Using LC-MS/MS, this study profiled 22 bile acids in brain extracts and blood plasma from AD patients (n = 10) and age-matched control subjects (n = 10). In addition, we also profiled brain/plasma samples from APP/PS1 and WT mice (aged 6 and 12 months). In human plasma, we detected significantly lower cholic acid (CA, p = 0.03) in AD patients than age-matched control subjects. In APP/PS1 mouse plasma we detected higher CA (p = 0.05, 6 months) and lower hyodeoxycholic acid (p = 0.04, 12 months) than WT. In human brain with AD pathology (Braak stages V-VI) taurocholic acid (TCA) were significantly lower (p = 0.01) than age-matched control subjects. In APP/PS1 mice we detected higher brain lithocholic acid (p = 0.05) and lower tauromuricholic acid (TMCA; p = 0.05, 6 months). TMCA was also decreased (p = 0.002) in 12-month-old APP/PS1 mice along with 5 other acids: CA (p = 0.02), β-muricholic acid (p = 0.02), Ω-muricholic acid (p = 0.05), TCA (p = 0.04), and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (p = 0.02). The levels of bile acids are clearly disturbed during the development of AD pathology and, since some bile acids are being proposed as potential AD therapeutics, we demonstrate a method that can be used to support work to advance bile acid therapeutics.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is complex involving multiple contributing factors. The extent to which AD pathology affects the metabolome is still not understood nor is it known how disturbances change as the disease progresses. For the first time, we have profiled longitudinally (6, 8, 10, 12, and 18 months) both the brain and plasma metabolome of APPswe/PS1deltaE9 double transgenic and wild-type mice. A total of 187 metabolites were quantified using a targeted metabolomic methodology. Multivariate statistical analysis produced models that distinguished APPswe/PS1deltaE9 from wild-type mice at 8, 10, and 12 months. Metabolic pathway analysis found perturbed polyamine metabolism in both brain and blood plasma. There were other disturbances in essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and also in the neurotransmitter serotonin. Pronounced imbalances in phospholipid and acylcarnitine homeostasis were evident in 2 age groups. AD-like pathology, therefore, affects greatly on both the brain and blood metabolomes, although there appears to be a clear temporal sequence whereby changes to brain metabolites precede those in blood.

Delirium is a marker of brain vulnerability, associated with increasing age, pre-existing cognitive impairment and, recently, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. This nested case-control study used a targeted quantitative metabolomic methodology to profile the preoperative CSF of patients (n = 54) who developed delirium following arthroplasty (n = 28) and those who did not (n = 26). The aim was to identify novel preoperative markers of delirium, and to assess potential correlations with clinical data. Participants without a diagnosis of dementia (≥65 years) undergoing elective primary hip or knee arthroplasty were postoperatively assessed for delirium once-daily for three days. Groups were compared using multivariate, univariate and receiving operator characteristic (ROC) methods. Multivariate modelling using Orthogonal Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) of metabolomic data readily distinguished between delirium and control groups (R2 ≤ 0.56; Q2 ≤ 0.10). Three metabolites (spermidine, putrescine and glutamine) significantly differed between groups (P < 0.05; FDR < 0.07), and performed well as CSF biomarkers (ROC > 0.75). The biomarker performance of the two polyamines (spermidine/putrescine) was enhanced by ratio with CSF Aβ42 (ROC > 0.8), and spermidine significantly correlated with Aβ42 (pearson r = −0.32; P = 0.018). These findings suggest that spermidine and putrescine levels could be useful markers of postoperative delirium risk, particularly when combined with Aβ42, and this requires further investigation.

Eukaryotic life benefits from—and ofttimes critically relies upon—the de novo biosynthesis and supply of vitamins and micronutrients from bacteria. The micronutrient queuosine (Q), derived from diet and/or the gut microbiome, is used as a source of the nucleobase queuine, which once incorporated into the anticodon of tRNA contributes to translational efficiency and accuracy. Here, we report high-resolution, substrate-bound crystal structures of the Sphaerobacter thermophilus queuine salvage protein Qng1 (formerly DUF2419) and of its human ortholog QNG1 (C9orf64), which together with biochemical and genetic evidence demonstrate its function as the hydrolase releasing queuine from queuosine-5′-monophosphate as the biological substrate. We also show that QNG1 is highly expressed in the liver, with implications for Q salvage and recycling. The essential role of this family of hydrolases in supplying queuine in eukaryotes places it at the nexus of numerous (patho)physiological processes associated with queuine deficiency, including altered metabolism, proliferation, differentiation and cancer progression.

Brain is a lipid-rich tissue, and fatty acids (FAs) play a crucial role in brain function, including neuronal cell growth and development. This study used GC-MS to survey all detectable FAs in the human parietal cortex (Brodmann area 7). These FAs were accurately quantified in 27 cognitively normal age-matched controls, 16 cases of moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 30 severe AD, and 14 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). A total of 24 FA species were identified. Multiple comparison procedures, using stepdown permutation tests, noted higher levels of 13 FAs but the majority of changes were in moderate AD and DLB, rather than severe AD. Subjects with moderate AD and DLB pathology exhibited significantly higher levels of a number of FAs (13 FAs and 12 FAs, respectively). These included nervonic, lignoceric, cis-13,16-docosadienoic, arachidonic, cis-11,14,17-eicosatrienoic, erucic, behenic, α-linolenic, stearic, oleic, cis-10-heptanoic, and palmitic acids. The similarities between moderate AD and DLB were quite striking—arachidic acid was the only FA which was higher in moderate AD than control, and was not similarly affected in DLB. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between moderate AD and DLB. The associations between each FA and a number of variables, including diagnosis, age, gender, Aβ plaque load, tau load, and frontal tissue pH, were also investigated. To conclude, the development of AD or DLB pathology affects brain FA composition but, intriguingly, moderate AD neuropathology impacts this to a much greater extent. Post-mortem delay is a potential confounding factor, but the findings here suggest that there could be a more dynamic metabolic response in the earlier stages of the disease pathology.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most prevelant malignancy in Europe and diet is an important modifiable risk factor. Processed meat consumption, including meats with preservative salts such as sodium nitrite, have been implicated in CRC pathogenesis. This study investigated how the CRC pathology and metabolic status of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) multiple intestinal neoplasia (min) mice was perturbed following 8 weeks of pork meat consumption. Dietary inclusions (15%) of either nitrite-free pork, nitrite-free sausage, or nitrite-containing sausage (frankfurter) were compared against a parallel control group (100% chow). Comprehensive studies investigated: gastrointestinal tract histology (tumours), aberrant crypt foci (ACF), mucin deplin foci (MDF), lipid peroxidation (urine and serum), faecal microbiota, and serum metabolomics (599 metabolites). After 8 weeks mice consuming the frankfurter diet had 53% more (P = 0.014) gastrointestinal tumours than control, although ACF and MDF did not differ. Urine and serum lipid peroxidation markers were 59% (P = 0.001) and 108% (P = 0.001) higher, respectively in the frankfurter group. Gut dysbiosis was evident in these mice with comparably fewer Bacteriodes and more Firmicutes. Fasting serum levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and numerous triglycerides were elevated. Various serum phosphotidylcholine species were decreased. These results demonstrate that nitrite-containing sausages may exaccerbate the development of CRC pathology in APC^Min mice to a greater extent than nitrite-free sausages, and this is associated with greater lipid peroxidation, wide-ranging metabolic alternation and gut dysbiosis.