Abstract
Background:
Acylcarnitines are biomarkers of fatty acid metabolism, and examining their patterns in preterm newborn may reveal metabolic changes associated with particular conditions related to prematurity. Isomeric acylcarnitines in dried blood spots (DBS) and plasma have never been assessed in preterm infants.
Methods:
We studied 157 newborn divided into four groups by weeks of gestational age (GA), as follows: 22–27 wk in group 1; 28–31 wk in group 2; 32–36 wk in group 3; and 37–42 wk in group 4. Samples were collected on the third day of life. Acylcarnitines were separated and quantified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
Results:
Acylcarnitine concentrations correlated significantly with GA and birth weight in both DBS and plasma samples. Concentrations were lower in preterm newborn, except for acylcarnitines derived from branched-chain amino acids, which were higher and correlated with enteral feeding. On day 3 of life, no correlations emerged with gender, respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, surfactant administration, or mechanical ventilation.
Conclusion:
We established GA-based reference ranges for isomeric acylcarnitine concentrations in preterm newborn, which could be used to assess nutritional status and the putative neuroprotective role of acylcarnitines.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the medical, nursing, and laboratory staff who contributed to data collection and analysis at the NICU and the Women’s and Children’s Health Department, University of Padova. We also thank Paola Dalla Via and Martina Betto for their contribution to data collection and sample storage during the course of the study.
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Gucciardi, A., Zaramella, P., Costa, I. et al. Analysis and interpretation of acylcarnitine profiles in dried blood spot and plasma of preterm and full-term newborns. Pediatr Res 77, 36–47 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2014.142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2014.142
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