A Comparative Analyses of Lipid Ratios Representing Desaturase Enzyme Activity between Preterm and Term Infants Within the First Ten Weeks of Life

Abstract

Abstract Background Desaturase enzymes play a key role in several pathways including biosynthesis of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In preterm infants, desaturase enzyme activity (DA) may be a rate-limiting step in maintaining PUFAs levels during this critical developmental window and impact on long term metabolic health. The study tested the hypothesis that desaturase enzyme activity is altered in preterm infants compared to term infants in early life. Methods Lipidomic analyses were conducted using blood samples from two established UK-based cohorts, involving very preterm (n = 105) and term (n = 259) infants. Blood samples were taken from term infants at birth, two and six weeks and from preterm infants when established on enteral feeds and at term corrected age. DA of the 2 groups of infants were estimated from product/precursor lipids ratios of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and triglycerides (TG) species and reported according to their postmenstrual and postnatal ages. Results There were changes in lipid ratios representing desaturase enzyme activity in preterm infants in the first weeks of life with increasing activity of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) TG but a significant reducing activity of stearoyl-COA desaturase (SCD1) and FADS2(PC). In comparison to term infants, preterm have lower FADS1 but higher FADS2 at all postnatal ages. Although point levels of DA were different, trajectories of changes in DA over time were similar in preterm and term infants. Conclusions This study findings suggest the patterns of DA in preterm infants differ from that of term infants but their trajectories of change in the first 10 weeks of life were similar. These differences of desaturases activity if they persist in later life could contribute to the mechanism of diseases in preterm adulthood and warrant further investigations.