The Role of Lipids in Rotator Cuff Injuries: A Cross-sectional Study with Plasma Lipidomic Analysis

Research Objectives: Intramuscular fatty infiltration is a phenomenon observed in many people with rotator cuff injuries. However, the relationship between intramuscular fatty infiltration and rotator cuff injuries is yet to be elucidated.

Objective: To examine the relationship between plasma lipids and rotator cuff injuries using plasma lipidomic analysis.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Untargeted mass spectrometry was utilized to conduct lipidomic analyses of plasma samples from individuals with rotator cuff injures and plasma samples from commercially available general population (controls).

Setting: University hospital-based laboratory

Participants: Plasma samples from nine individuals with rotator cuff injuries (RCI) and four samples from controls (CTRL)

Interventions: Not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: Plasma lipid concentrations (nmol/mL) of ten lipid classes: cholesteryl esters, triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, ceramide, monohexosylceramide, dihexosylceramide, trihexosylceramide, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE).

Results: Three of the lipid classes were significantly different between RCI group and CTRL. Cholesteryl esters were significantly higher in the RCI group (594.29 ± 170.35 nmol/mL) vs. CTRL (385.83 ± 71.90 nmol/mL, p=0.010). LPC levels were significantly lower in the RCI group (1.22 ± 0.44 nmol/mL) vs. CTRL (3.08 ± 0.39 nmol/mL, p=0.0002). LPE was also decreased in the RCI group (0.35 ± 41.25 nmol/mL) compared to CTRL (1.32 ± 0.23 nmol/mL, p=0.017). There was no difference in other seven lipid classes

Conclusions: Increase in cholesterol esters is associated with fatty lesion of atherosclerotic plaques and cardiovascular diseases. While decreased LPC and LPE are associated with obesity and higher body mass index respectively. Reduced lysophospholipids also correlate with decreased muscle strength, potentially contributing to rotator cuff weakness. Given that the changes in the three lipid classes are related to pathological conditions associated with increased adiposity, future study is warranted to examine the relationship between increased adiposity, and the severity and functional outcomes of rotator cuff injuries.

Author(s) Disclosures: None