Metabolomics and a Breath Sensor Identify Acetone as a Biomarker for Heart Failure

Abstract

Background Multiomics delivers more biological insight than targeted investigations. We applied multiomics to patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods 46 patients with HFrEF and 20 controls underwent metabolomic profiling, including liquid/gas chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS/GCMS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) volatilomics in plasma and urine. HFrEF was defined using left ventricular global longitudinal strain, ejection fraction and NTproBNP. A consumer breath acetone (BrACE) sensor validated results in n=73. Results 28 metabolites were identified by GCMS, 35 by LCMS and 4 volatiles by SPME in plasma and urine. Alanine, aspartate and glutamate, citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism were altered in HFrEF. Plasma acetone correlated with NT-proBNP (r = 0.59, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.7), 2-oxovaleric and cis-aconitic acid, involved with ketone metabolism and mitochondrial energetics. BrACE> 1.5 ppm discriminated HF from other cardiac pathology (AUC 0.8, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.92, P < 0.0001). Conclusion Breath acetone discriminated HFrEF from other cardiac pathology using a consumer sensor, but was not cardiac specific.