The relationship between serum lipid variations in SS and healthy controls was investigated to identify potential predictive lipid biomarkers.
Serum samples from 230 SS patients and 240 healthy controls were collected. The samples were analysed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive™ spectrometry. Potential lipid biomarkers were screened through orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis and further evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis.
A panel of three metabolites [phosphatidylcholine (18:0/22:5), triglyceride (16:0/18:0/18:1) and acylcarnitine (12:0)] was identified as a specific biomarker of SS. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the panel had a sensitivity of 84.3% with a specificity of 74.8% in discriminating patients with SS from healthy controls.
Our approach successfully identified serum biomarkers associated with SS patients. The potential lipid biomarkers indicated that SS metabolic disturbance might be associated with oxidized lipids, fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism.