# Predicting effect of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma by detecting plasma metabolite based on UHPLC-MS

## TL;DR

This study identifies glycerophospholipid metabolites in plasma that can predict how well hepatocellular carcinoma patients will respond to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immune therapy.

## Contribution

The study introduces glycerophospholipid metabolites as novel predictive biomarkers for immune therapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma.

## Key findings

- A PLS-DA model using 14 glycerophospholipid metabolites achieved high prediction accuracy (0.880) for immune therapy response.
- Glycerophospholipid metabolite abundance is closely linked to survival benefits in HCC patients undergoing immune therapy.
- UHPLC-MS analysis revealed metabolites that could guide patient selection for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.

## Abstract

Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors therapy has become a promising treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while the therapeutic efficacy varies significantly among effects for individual patients are significant difference. Unfortunately, specific predictive biomarkers indicating the degree of benefit for patients and thus guiding the selection of suitable candidates for immune therapy remain elusive.no specific predictive biomarkers are available indicating the degree of benefit for patients and thus screening the preferred population suitable for the immune therapy.

Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) considered is an important method for analyzing biological samples, since it has the advantages of high rapid, high sensitivity, and high specificity. Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) has emerged as a pivotal method for analyzing biological samples due to its inherent advantages of rapidity, sensitivity, and specificity. In this study, potential metabolite biomarkers that can predict the therapeutic effect of HCC patients receiving immune therapy were identified by UHPLC-MS.

A partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was established using 14 glycerophospholipid metabolites mentioned above, and good prediction parameters (R2 = 0.823, Q2 = 0.615, prediction accuracy = 0.880 and p < 0.001) were obtained. The relative abundance of glycerophospholipid metabolite ions is closely related to the survival benefit of HCC patients who received immune therapy.

This study reveals that glycerophospholipid metabolites play a crucial role in predicting the efficacy of immune therapy for HCC.