Targeted Metabolomics Based on LC-MS/MS Revealing Alteration of Bile Acids in Male Migraine Patients

Migraine is an episodic neurological disorder and the second most disabling disease with unclear pathogenesis. Since dietary adjustment and probiotics supplement can improve the symptoms of migraine, the intestinal flora metabolites of bile acids(BAs) attract attentions in this work. 21 BAs, including cholic acid(CA), chenodeoxycholic acid(CDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), lithocholic acid(LCA), ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA), hyocholic acid(HCA), hyodeoxycholic acid(HDCA) and their glycine- and taurine-conjugated species, were compared in serum of migraine patients and healthy controls using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS), which is the first study about the correlation between BAs and migraine. Two secondary BAs, DCA and LCA as well as their glycine- and taurine-conjugated forms, were demonstrated with significant difference between male patients and male controls, while no obvious difference was found in the two female groups. The result indicated that the variation of BAs might be gender-related when referred to migraine, which would emphasize the importance of gender-stratified analysis for the disease with varying morbidity in male and female. Five differential metabolites may serve as potential serum biomarkers for the male migraine patients, providing a new sight for the understanding and biomarker exploring of the migraine in male.