Serum Proteomics Study Of Different TCM Syndrome Types In Children With Tic Disorder

Objective:To explore the differential expression of serum proteins in children with tic disorder(TD);to screen the serum-specific differentially expressed proteins of TD children with different TCM syndromes;and preliminary comparison of protein expression differences in children with transient tic disorder,chronic tic disorder,and Tourette syndrome.Methods:Totally 60 children with TD(TD group,TCM syndromes include 34 cases of syndrome of qi depression transforming into fire and 26 cases of Spleen deficiency leading to phlegm syndrome;Western medical classification includes 40 cases of transient tic disorder,11 cases of chronic tic disorder,and 9 cases of Tourette syndrome)and 30 healthy children were enrolled in this study.Serum was separated from the blood and the protein peaks was detected by application of MB-WCX with MALDI-TOF MS Technology.The data were imported into proteomics software for analysis of protein peaks,and differential protein peaks were screened.Results:There was significant difference in protein expression between TD group and healthy control group,and 8 significant differential protein peaks were screened out,their relative molecular mass(Mr)were: 863.13,1869.76,2175.98,2191.84,2277.19,2293.11,6443.34,6642.05;their AUC values were 0.779、0.793、0.778、0.783、0.781、0.754、0.831、0.861.There was significant difference in protein expression between syndrome of qi depression transforming into fire and Spleen deficiency leading to phlegm syndrome patients,and 2 significant differential protein peaks were screened out,their relative molecular mass(Mr)were:873.73,6642.04.;their AUC values were 0.823 and 0.766.There was no significant difference in the macroscopic comparison of protein expression between the transient tic disorder group,chronic tic disorder group and Tourette syndrome group.Conclusion and significance:In this study,MB-WCX combined with MALDI-TOF MS technology was used for the first time to perform proteomic studies on TD children.We have obtained valuable results,proving that it is feasible to use the technology to study the molecular level of TD and the research between TCM syndrome types,and to provide a new method for TD research.There were differences in serum protein expression between the TD group and the healthy control group.These differential proteins may become biological markers for clinical diagnosis of TD in children,and may also help further explore the pathogenesis of TD,and lay a foundation for the development of TD-targeted therapeutic drugs.The differences between syndrome of qi depression transforming into fire and Spleen deficiency leading to phlegm syndrome may be related to the micro-material of syndromes.It is of guiding significance to explore the biological basis of TCM syndrome and to establish diagnostic models.The difference in protein expression between children with transient tic disorder,chronic tic disorder and Tourette syndrome is not strong,which may be related to the small sample size.The protein peak of Mr 6642.05/6642.04 may not only be a potential clinical diagnostic marker for children’s TD,but also may be a microscopic substance to distinguish the syndrome of qi depression transforming into fire and Spleen deficiency leading to phlegm syndrome of TD.