Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41903026›Full record

ArticleMetabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society2026

Univariate- and machine learning-based plasma metabolite signature differentiates PSC-IBD from IBD and is predicted to be driven by gut microbial changes.

Joanna C Wolthuis, Johannes P D Schultheiss, Stefanía Magnúsdóttir, Edwin Stigter, Yuen Fung Tang, Judith Jans, Bas Oldenburg, Jeroen de Ridder, Saskia van Mil

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Joanna C WolthuisCenter for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. jcwolthuis93@gmail.com.
Johannes P D SchultheissDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Stefanía MagnúsdóttirCenter for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Edwin StigterCenter for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Yuen Fung TangCenter for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Judith JansDepartment of Genetics, Section Metabolic Diagnostics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Bas Oldenburg *Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jeroen de Ridder *Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Saskia van Mil *Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract comprising two major phenotypes, Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Up to 8% of patients with IBD also develop primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), characterised by cholestasis and progressive destruction of the biliary tree, resulting in cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and cholangiocarcinoma. Clinical outcome can currently not be improved through medication, denoting the importance of diagnosis prior to irreversible damage, which requires biomarkers of (early) disease.

objectivesWe employed direct infusion mass spectrometry (DI-MS)-based metabolomics on plasma to build predictive, potentially diagnostic models for PSC-IBC and other phenotypes including IBD subtype, stricture and fistula presence and more. We used this dataset to simultaneously investigate aetiology of these phenotypes.

methodsSamples of 348 IBD patients were included for analysis. The data was analysed using our previously reported tool, MetaboShiny. We built predictive models using Random Forest (RF), and subsequently combined with univariate statistics to rank m/z features connected to PSC-IBD. This ranking was used to perform mummichog enrichment analysis connected to metabolic and metagenomic changes.

resultsThe highest performing predictive model differentiated PSC-IBD from PSC. The metabolic signature was enriched in changes to amino acid and vitamin metabolism, alongside changes to the metagenome suggesting decreases in anti-inflammatory microbial species and increases in pro-inflammatory species.

conclusionThese results demonstrate the potential of DI-MS-based metabolomics with machine learning to create diagnostic models and generate hypotheses on the metabolomic-metagenomic level. Sharing our dataset of patients will enrich future human IBD metabolomics research possibilities.

Indexed as

Cholangitis, SclerosingGastrointestinal MicrobiomeInflammatory Bowel DiseasesMachine LearningMetabolomicsBiomarkersCrohn DiseaseHumansMass SpectrometryMetabolomeBiomarkersIbdMachine learningMass spectrometryMicrobiomePlasmaPsc

Identifiers

PMID41903026
PMCPMC13032943

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.