Application of Sebum Lipidomics to Biomarkers Discovery in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Stefania Briganti,
Mauro Truglio,
Antonella Angiolillo,
Salvatore Lombardo,
Deborah Leccese,
Emanuela Camera,
Mauro Picardo,
Alfonso Di Costanzo
Affiliations
Stefania Briganti
Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute—IRCCS, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy
Mauro Truglio
Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute—IRCCS, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy
Antonella Angiolillo
Centre for Research and Training in Medicine of Aging, Department of Medicine and Health Science “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, Via De Santis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Salvatore Lombardo
Centre for Research and Training in Medicine of Aging, Department of Medicine and Health Science “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, Via De Santis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Deborah Leccese
Centre for Research and Training in Medicine of Aging, Department of Medicine and Health Science “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, Via De Santis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Emanuela Camera
Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute—IRCCS, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy
Mauro Picardo
Laboratory of Cutaneous Physiopathology, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute—IRCCS, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy
Alfonso Di Costanzo
Centre for Research and Training in Medicine of Aging, Department of Medicine and Health Science “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, Via De Santis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Lipidomics is strategic in the discovery of biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). The skin surface lipidome bears the potential to provide biomarker candidates in the detection of pathological processes occurring in distal organs. We investigated the sebum composition to search diagnostic and, possibly, prognostic, biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The observational study included 64 subjects: 20 characterized as “probable AD with documented decline”, 20 as “clinically established PD”, and 24 healthy subjects (HS) of comparable age. The analysis of sebum by GCMS and TLC retrieved the amounts (µg) of 41 free fatty acids (FFAs), 7 fatty alcohols (FOHs), vitamin E, cholesterol, squalene, and total triglycerides (TGs) and wax esters (WEs). Distributions of sebum lipids in NDDs and healthy conditions were investigated with multivariate ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis (ASCA). The deranged sebum composition associated with the PD group showed incretion of most composing lipids compared to HS, whereas only two lipid species (vitamin E and FOH14:0) were discriminant of AD samples and presented lower levels than HS sebum. Thus, sebum lipid biosynthetic pathways are differently affected in PD and AD. The characteristic sebum bio-signatures detected support the value of sebum lipidomics in the biomarkers search in NDDs.
