Bariatric Surgery Improves the Atherogenic Profile of Circulating Methylarginines in Obese Patients: Results from a Pilot Study

Julie Poirier (1) , Chloé Cloteau (1) , Audrey Aguesse (1) , Xavier Billot (1) , Etienne Thévenot (2, 3) , Michel Krempf (1, 4) , René Valéro (5, 6) , Marie M. Maraninchi (5, 6) , Mikaël Croyal (1, 7, 8, 9)

1 CRNH Ouest - Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine Ouest
2 LS2D (CEA, LIST) - Laboratoire Sciences des Données et de la Décision (CEA, LIST)
3 MetaboHUB
4 Clinique Bretéché [Nantes]
5 C2VN - Centre recherche en CardioVasculaire et Nutrition = Center for CardioVascular and Nutrition research
6 LA CONCEPTION - Hôpital de la Conception [CHU - APHM]
7 ITX - ITX - unité de recherche de l'institut du thorax
8 SFR François Bonamy - Structure fédérative de recherche François Bonamy
9 CHU Nantes - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes

Bariatric surgery improves obesity-related comorbidities. Methylarginines are biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk, liver steatosis, and insulin resistance. Here, we aimed to investigate methylarginines in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and compared them to age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Thirty-one obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery and 31 healthy individuals were used for this retrospective study. The basal serum methylarginine levels were determined in the healthy individuals and the obese patients, before surgery and 6 and 12 months after surgery, by mass spectrometry. Compared with the healthy individuals, the obese patients displayed elevated monomethylarginine (mean change: +95%, p < 0.001), asymmetric-dimethylarginine (+105%, p < 0.001), symmetric-dimethylarginine (+25%, p = 0.003), and dimethylguanidino valerate (+32%, p = 0.008) concentrations. Bariatric surgery durably reduced the body mass index by 28% (12 months, 95%CI: 24–33, p = 0.002) and improved plasma lipids, insulin resistance, and liver function. Bariatric surgery reduced the serum levels of monomethylarginine and asymmetric-dimethylarginine by 12% (95%CI: 6–17) and 36% (95%CI: 27–45) (12 months, p = 0.003), respectively, but not symmetric-dimethylarginine or dimethylguanidino valerate. The monomethylarginine and asymmetric-dimethylarginine concentrations were strongly correlated with markers of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and a fatty liver. Serum dimethylguanidino valerate was primarily correlated with glycemia and renal function, whereas serum symmetric-dimethylarginine was almost exclusively associated with renal function. In conclusion, the monomethylarginine and asymmetric-dimethylarginine levels are efficiently decreased by bariatric surgery, leading to a reduced atherogenic profile in obese patients. Methylarginines follow different metabolic patterns, which could help for the stratification of cardiometabolic disorders in obese patients.

Mots clés: ADMA; DMGV; NMMA; SDMA; bariatric surgery; methylarginines; data processing; Statistical analysis

Domaines: Génomique, Transcriptomique et Protéomique [q-bio.GN]; Chirurgie; Endocrinologie et métabolisme

Julie Poirier, Chloé Cloteau, Audrey Aguesse, Xavier Billot, Etienne Thévenot, et al.. Bariatric Surgery Improves the Atherogenic Profile of Circulating Methylarginines in Obese Patients: Results from a Pilot Study. Metabolites, 2021, 11 (11), pp.759. ⟨10.3390/metabo11110759⟩. ⟨hal-03653351⟩