Independent serum metabolomics approaches identify disrupted glutamic acid and serine metabolism in Parkinson’s disease patients
Whether distinct blood metabolomic profiles can distinguish Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from healthy controls (HC) is still a matter of debate. Here, we employed ¹H-NMR and UPLC/MS analyses on serum samples from a cohort of PD patients and HC. Compared to HC, PD patients showed: (1) higher glutamine, serine, pyruvate and lower α-ketoglutarate levels (<sup>1</sup>H-NMR); (2) higher glycine and lower glutamic acid concentrations (UPLC/MS). Several pathways associated with amino acids, mitochondrial and antioxidant metabolism emerged as dysregulated in PD. Our findings highlight a prominent disruption of cellular bioenergetic pathways and amino acid homeostasis in PD.
Authors
- Alessandro Usiello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9203-853X)
- Anna Maria D’Ursi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6814-8472)
- Claudio Pacchetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8236-9650)
- Caterina Galandra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7048-814X)
- Lavinia Santucci (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7448-0604)
- Manuela Grimaldi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7354-8008)
- Marta Picascia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6774-0159)
- Gabriele Buongarzone
- Francesco Errico (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3636-7395)
- Tommaso Nuzzo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8657-2098)
- Enza Maria Valente (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0600-6820)
- Alberto Imarisio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1206-4170)
- Andrea Urbani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9168-3174)
- Jacopo Gervasoni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3600-392X)
- Enza Napolitano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8610-879X)
- Micol Avenali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7880-9921)
- Isar Yahyavi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3131-8738)
- Michela Cicchinelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8975-4947)
- Carmen Marino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2587-505X)
Institutions
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
- University of Salerno (IT)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- University of Pavia (IT)
- Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
- Foundation Center (US)
- Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Nazionale Casimiro Mondino (IT)
- Urology Foundation (GB)
- Federico II University Hospital (IT)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore (Italy) (IT)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Parkinson s Disease
- Published
- 2025-09-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01126-5
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.72
Funders
- Clinical Trial Center, China Medical University Hospital
- Fondazione Cariplo
- Ministero della Salute