• Acylcarnitines in plasma and blood spots of patients with long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase defiency

      Van Hove, J. L.; Kahler, S. G.; Feezor, M. D.; Ramakrishna, Jyoti P.; Hart, P.; Treem, W. R.; Shen, J. J.; Matern, D.; Millington, D. S. (2000-09-14)
      The acylcarnitines in plasma and blood spots of 23 patients with proven deficiency of long-chain 3-hydroxyacylcoenzyme A dehydrogenase were reviewed. Long-chain 3-hydroxyacylcarnitines of C14:1, C14, C16 and C18:1 chain length, and long-chain acylcarnitines of C12, C14:1, C14, C16, C18:2 and C18:1 chain length were elevated. Acetylcarnitine was decreased. In plasma, elevation of hydroxy-C18:1 acylcarnitine over the 95th centile of controls, in combination with an elevation of two of the three acylcarnitines C14, C14:1 and hydroxy-C16, identified over 85% of patients with high specificity (less than 0.1% false positive rate). High endogenous levels of long-chain acylcarnitines in normal erythrocytes reduced the diagnostic specificity in blood spots compared with plasma samples. The results were also diagnostic in asymptomatic patients, and were not influenced by genotype. Treatment with diet low in fat and high in medium-chain triglyceride decreased all disease-specific acylcarnitines, often to normal, suggesting that this assay is useful in treatment monitoring.
    • Biochemical correction of short-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency after portal vein injection of rAAV8-SCAD

      Beattie, Stuart G.; Goetzman, Eric; Conlon, Thomas; Germain, Sean; Walter, Glenn; Campbell-Thompson, Martha; Matern, Dietrich; Vockley, Jerry; Flotte, Terence R. (2008-05-27)
      Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors pseudotyped with serotype 5 and 8 capsids (AAV5 and AAV8) have been shown to be efficient gene transfer reagents for the liver. We have produced AAV5 and AAV8 vectors that express mouse short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (mSCAD) cDNA under the transcriptional control of the cytomegalovirus-chicken beta-actin hybrid promoter. We hypothesized that these vectors would produce sufficient hepatocyte transduction (after administration via the portal vein) and thus sufficient SCAD enzyme to correct the phenotype observed in the SCAD-deficient (BALB/cByJ) mouse, which includes elevated blood butyrylcarnitine and hepatic steatosis. Ten weeks after portal vein injection into 8-week-old mice, AAV8-treated livers contained acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity (14.3 mU/mg) toward butyryl-CoA, compared with 7.6 mU/mg in mice that received phosphate-buffered saline. Immunohistochemistry showed expression of mSCAD within rAAV8-mSCAD-transduced hepatocytes, as seen by light microscopy. A significant reduction of circulating butyrylcarnitine was seen in AAV5-mSCAD- and AAV8-mSCAD-injected mice. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of fasted mice demonstrated a significant reduction in relative lipid content within the livers of AAV8-mSCAD-treated mice. These results demonstrate biochemical correction of SCAD deficiency after AAV8-mediated SCAD gene delivery.
    • Glutaric acidemia type 1: Treatment and outcome of 168 patients over three decades

      Strauss, Kevin A. (2020-11-01)
      Glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA1) is a disorder of cerebral organic acid metabolism resulting from biallelic mutations of GCDH. Without treatment, GA1 causes striatal degeneration in > 80% of affected children before two years of age. We analyzed clinical, biochemical, and developmental outcomes for 168 genotypically diverse GA1 patients managed at a single center over 31 years, here separated into three treatment cohorts: children in Cohort I (n = 60; DOB 2006-2019) were identified by newborn screening (NBS) and treated prospectively using a standardized protocol that included a lysine-free, arginine-enriched metabolic formula, enteral l-carnitine (100 mg/kg*day), and emergency intravenous (IV) infusions of dextrose, saline, and l-carnitine during illnesses; children in Cohort II (n = 57; DOB 1989-2018) were identified by NBS and treated with natural protein restriction (1.0-1.3 g/kg*day) and emergency IV infusions; children in Cohort III (n = 51; DOB 1973-2016) did not receive NBS or special diet. The incidence of striatal degeneration in Cohorts I, II, and III was 7%, 47%, and 90%, respectively (p < .0001). No neurologic injuries occurred after 19 months of age. Among uninjured children followed prospectively from birth (Cohort I), measures of growth, nutritional sufficiency, motor development, and cognitive function were normal. Adherence to metabolic formula and l-carnitine supplementation in Cohort I declined to 12% and 32%, respectively, by age 7 years. Cessation of strict dietary therapy altered plasma amino acid and carnitine concentrations but resulted in no serious adverse outcomes. In conclusion, neonatal diagnosis of GA1 coupled to management with lysine-free, arginine-enriched metabolic formula and emergency IV infusions during the first two years of life is safe and effective, preventing more than 90% of striatal injuries while supporting normal growth and psychomotor development. The need for dietary interventions and emergency IV therapies beyond early childhood is uncertain.
    • Spectrum of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency detected by newborn screening

      Hsu, Ho-Wen; Zytkovicz, Thomas H.; Comeau, Anne Marie; Strauss, Arnold W.; Marsden, Deborah; Shih, Vivian E.; Grady, George F.; Eaton, Roger B. (2008-05-03)
      OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to describe the clinical spectrum of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency detected by routine newborn screening and assess factors associated with elevations of octanoylcarnitine in newborns and characteristics associated with adverse clinical consequences of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. METHODS: The first 47 medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency cases detected by the New England Newborn Screening Program were classified according to initial and follow-up octanoylcarnitine values, octanoylcarnitine-decanoylcarnitine ratios, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase genotype, follow-up biochemical parameters, and feeding by breast milk or formula. RESULTS: All 20 patients who were homozygous for 985A-->G had high initial octanoylcarnitine values (7.0-36.8 microM) and octanoylcarnitine-decanoylcarnitine ratios (7.0-14.5), whereas the 27 patients with 0 to 1 copy of 985A-->G exhibited a wide range of octanoylcarnitine values (0.5-28.6 microM) and octanoylcarnitine-decanoylcarnitine ratios (0.8-12.7). Initial newborn octanoylcarnitine values decreased by days 5 to 8, but the octanoylcarnitine-decanoylcarnitine ratio generally remained stable. Among 985A-->G homozygotes, breastfed newborns had higher initial octanoylcarnitine values than newborns who received formula. Adverse events occurred in 5 children, 4 985A-->G homozygotes and 1 compound heterozygote with a very high initial octanoylcarnitine: 2 survived severe neonatal hypoglycemia, 1 survived a severe hypoglycemic episode at 15 months of age, and 2 died as a result of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency at ages 11 and 33 months. CONCLUSION: Newborn screening for medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency has detected cases with a wide range of genotypes and biochemical abnormalities. Although most children do well, adverse outcomes have not been entirely avoided. Assessment of potential risk and determination of appropriate treatment remain a challenge.