We identified metabolites using a metabolomics approach and investigated the association between these metabolites and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
A 24-hr bladder diary and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) were used to assess micturition behaviors and LUTS in a total of 58 male patients without apparent neurological diseases.
LUTS was defined as a total IPSS score of ≥8 (the LUTS-group), while patients with a score of <7 were placed in the Control-group. A comprehensive study of plasma metabolites was also conducted by capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metabolites were compared between the LUTS-group and Control-group using Mann-Whitney U test, and biomarkers for male LUTS from the metabolites were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression analysis to show the odds ratio.
Of the 58 patients, 32 males were placed in the LUTS-group and the remaining 26 males in the Control-group. A 24-hr bladder diary showed that the nocturnal urine volume, 24-hr micturition frequency, nocturnal micturition frequency, and nocturia index were significantly higher in the LUTS-group. A metabolomics analysis identified 60 metabolites from the plasma of patients. A multivariate analysis identified that an increase in glutamate level and decreases in arginine, asparagine and inosine monophosphate levels were significantly associated with LUTS in males. Decreases in levels of citrulline and glutamine could be also associated with male LUTS.
Male LUTS may occur due to abnormal metabolic processes in some pathways. Potential new treatments for LUTS can be developed by identifying changes in the amino acid profiles.
The Journal of urology. 2017 Nov 21 [Epub ahead of print]
Takahiko Mitsui, Satoru Kira, Tatsuya Ihara, Norifumi Sawada, Hiroshi Nakagomi, Tatsuya Miyamoto, Hiroshi Shimura, Hiroshi Yokomichi, Masayuki Takeda
Department of Urology, University of Yamanashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, University of Yamanashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences., Department of Health Sciences, University of Yamanashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Go Beyond the Abstract and Read a Commentary by the Author, Takahiko Mitsui, MD
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29175111