Plasma metabolic profiling reveals exploratory metabolic differences in chronic coronary syndrome with coronary artery calcification.

Background/objectives: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a specific marker of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) being a primary clinical manifestation of coronary artery disease. However, research on the plasma metabolites of individuals with CCS and CAC, as well as the identification of candidate markers is scarce. Here we aimed to explore metabolic differences among CAC patients, CCS patients, and healthy controls. Methods: We conducted a study involving 30 patients with CCS (CCS group), 30 with CAC (CAC group), and 30 healthy controls (Control group). Plasma parameters were statistically analyzed. Moreover, metabolomics analysis explored the composition and functions of metabolites in the plasma of each group. Results: We found that serum creatinine and fasting glucose levels were significantly increased in the CAC group, whereas blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly higher in both the CAC and CCS groups compared with Control group. Significant metabolic differences were observed between the CCS and CAC groups. Further analyses indicated that oleic acid and arachidonic acid were among the metabolites contributing to the separation between CAC patients and healthy controls. Conclusion: These findings suggest that plasma metabolite profiles differ among the study groups. The identified metabolites may contribute to distinguishing CAC patients from those with CCS as well as healthy controls, providing additional insights into the metabolic alterations associated with these conditions.