Spearman’s correlations were used to generate multi-dimensionally scaled parameter connectivity networks for variable intercorrelations. Networks were oriented with fasting glucose at the origin and SFA in the lower right quadrant. Colored ellipses represent the 95% probability locations of metabolite classes (Hoettlings T2, p<0.05). Nodes indicate clinical parameters (diamonds), <20-carbon fatty acid metabolites (circles) and ≥20-carbon fatty acid metabolites (triangles), with discriminant model variables and glucose enlarged. Significant correlations between species are designated by orange (positive) or blue (negative) connecting lines (p<0.05, non-diabetic; p<0.01, diabetic participants).

Metabolites are represented by circular “nodes” linked by “edges” with arrows designating the direction of the biosynthetic gradient (i.e. substrate to product). Some metabolites are linked by more than one enzymatic step. Node sizes represent magnitudes of differences in plasma metabolite geometric means (ΔGM). Arrow widths represent magnitudes of changes in product over substrate ratios (ΔP:S). Colors of node borders and arrows represent the significance and direction of changes relative to non-diabetics as per the figure legend. Differences are significant at p<0.05 by Mann-Whitney U test adjusted for FDR (q = 0.1).

Figure 1. The type 2 diabetes-associated lipidomic changes projected in context of their biological relationships in obese African-American women.