Targeted blood metabolomics in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with profound changes in lung microcirculation and metabolic status. This study aimed to investigate changes in significant blood metabolites and metabolic pathways in infants with BPD. Very preterm infants who underwent ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry testing at a corrected gestational age of 36 weeks were included. Infants with similar gestational ages were divided into two groups: those with BPD and those without BPD. Targeted metabolites were analyzed using the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model. Metabolic pathways were identified through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The study included 170 infants in the BPD group and 177 infants in the control group. C6DC, C16OH, Met, Ala, C0, C5, C5DC, C4, C2, C14OH, C18:2, Orn, and Tyr were identified as significant and the top metabolites. Met, Ala, Leu, C0, and C2 levels were lower, and C6DC, C16OH, C5, C5DC, and C4 levels were higher in the BPD group than the control group (all p < 0.05). Correlation heat map analysis and Mantel test revealed relationships between specific metabolites and BPD grade. The Mantel test revealed that the BPD grade was related to C0, C2, C4, and C5DC, brain natriuretic peptide related to C0. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated the involvement of these metabolites in five metabolic pathways. The findings suggest that amino acid and carnitine metabolites may play a role in BPD development, providing valuable insights into the effects of these metabolites on the condition