# Saliva and Plasma Metabolomic Signatures of Diabetes Progression in a Hispanic Cohort

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2021 · $524,509

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has reached epidemic proportions affecting more than 30.3 million Americans.
Hispanics are 64% more likely to have T2D than non-Hispanic whites. Among Hispanic sub-groups, Puerto
Ricans have a high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors including less healthful diets and have the
nation's highest rates of severe periodontal disease. They are twice as likely as Mexican Americans to be
hospitalized for diabetes related conditions and have established health disparities. Despite the high
prevalence of cardiometabolic risk, an understanding of the metabolic signatures and pathways that underlie
the progression of diabetes remains limited in Puerto Ricans. While most studies have used plasma as a
biofluid to measure metabolites, saliva is a non-invasive easily accessible alternative to plasma to measure
metabolites related to diabetes risk. Saliva may also present with distinct metabolic pathways for disease
progression. In the proposed project, we plan to examine both plasma and saliva metabolomic profiles of
diabetes progression. The study will be conducted among participants from the San Juan Overweight Adults
Longitudinal Study (SOALS). Participants are overweight/obese, Hispanic, 40-65 years of age, and have a
large burden of risk factors that contribute to diabetes progression. Extensive data and specimens were
collected at baseline and three-year follow-up. Our primary aims are: 1) To identify baseline saliva and plasma
metabolomic profiles and networks associated with diabetes progression in over 900 participants, using
supervised and unsupervised network analyses. 2) To determine the association between saliva and plasma
metabolomic profiles identified in aim 1 and three-year changes in cardiometabolic risk factors, including
markers of dyslipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, adiponectin, and systemic and local (periodontitis)
inflammation. In secondary analyses, we will examine whether periodontitis modifies the association between
saliva metabolites and diabetes progression. We will also evaluate inter-relationships between known
metabolites present in plasma and saliva. In addition, we will evaluate cross-sectional associations between
metabolites and baseline diet and lifestyle factors. This research will identify objective saliva and plasma
biomarkers of T2D progression in a high-risk overweight minority population. This study is likely to have
important public health implications because the novel plasma and saliva metabolites identified from this study
may be amenable to interventions, thus helping to reduce diabetes progression and lower health disparities.
The proposed project is built on the numerous strengths of an existing cohort in a high-risk population, and
supporting results from the preliminary work conducted by our multi-disciplinary team. This project has the
potential to advance our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology in an understudied minority population and
the knowledge pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10132743
- **Project number:** 5R01DK120560-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Shilpa Nandana Bhupathiraju
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $524,509
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-15 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10132743

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10132743, Saliva and Plasma Metabolomic Signatures of Diabetes Progression in a Hispanic Cohort (5R01DK120560-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10132743. Licensed CC0.

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