Abstract: Abstract: Objective To screen the metabolic markers associated with breast cancer metastasis through metabonomics technology. Methods Serum samples from 100 patients with breast cancer and 50 healthy volunteers were collected. The metabolic profiles of serum specimens from breast cancer patients with metastasis, breast cancer patients without metastasis and healthy people were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography combined with a LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer (HPLC-LTQ Orbitrap XL MS) platform, and then the data were analyzed by the pattern recognition methods and nonparametric test. Results The orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS DA) mode (R2=95.2%, Q2=86.7%) was constructed by the serum metabolic profiles of breast cancer patients with metastasis, breast cancer patients without metastasis and healthy people, which showed good discrimination ability and could identify eight metabolic markers including LPA［18∶1(9Z)/0∶0］, LysoPC(18∶0), LysoPC［20∶3(5Z,8Z,11Z)］, Choline, DHAP(18∶0e), (2R,3S)-Piscidic acid, Erucic acid, L-Dihydroorotic acid used to distinguish breast cancer metastasis. Conclusion The serum metabolic profiling obtained by metabolomic methods can be used to construct the discrimination mode and discover the metabolic biomarkers associated with breast cancer metastasis, which will provide the support and basis for the early diagnosis and treatment, prognosis evaluation, choice of drug therapy targets for breast cancer.

Key words: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), breast cancer, metastasis, metabolomics, serum