Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
One-step Metabolomics: Carbohydrates, Organic and Amino Acids Quantified in a Single Procedure
Published on: June 25, 2010
Metabolomic profiling in blood from umbilical cords of low birth weight newborns
Carmen Ivorra1, Consuelo García-Vicent, Felipe Javier Chaves
1Cardiovascular Risk Unit, Consorcio, Hospital General, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Insights
Low birth weight newborns exhibit distinct umbilical cord plasma metabolic profiles compared to normal birth weight infants. These metabolomic differences may indicate future health risks, warranting further investigation as potential biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Metabolomics
- Neonatal Health
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with increased risks of adult obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.
- Mechanisms linking LBW to later-life diseases remain unclear.
- Investigating early-life metabolic profiles can elucidate these associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if umbilical cord plasma metabolomic profiles differ between low birth weight and normal birth weight newborns.
- To identify specific metabolites that distinguish these groups.
Main Methods:
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics was used on umbilical cord plasma samples from 50 term newborns.
- Newborns were grouped into low birth weight (LBW, <10th percentile) and control (75th-90th percentile) groups.
- Chemometric and statistical analyses were applied to identify differentiating metabolites.
Main Results:
- Distinct metabolomic profiles were observed between LBW and control newborns.
- Seven key metabolites differed significantly between groups.
- LBW newborns showed lower levels of choline, proline, glutamine, alanine, and glucose, and higher levels of phenylalanine and citrulline.
Conclusions:
- Newborns with low birth weight have a unique metabolomic signature in their umbilical cord plasma.
- This differential profile was not observed in the mothers.
- These findings suggest potential utility as early biomarkers for future health risks.
Background:
Low birth weight has been linked to an increased risk to develop obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension in adult life, although the mechanisms underlying the association are not well understood. The objective was to determine whether the metabolomic profile of plasma from umbilical cord differs between low and normal birth weight newborns.
Methods:
Fifty healthy pregnant women and their infants were selected. The eligibility criteria were being born at term and having a normal pregnancy. Pairs were grouped according to their birth weight: low birth weight (LBW, birth weight < 10th percentile, n = 20) and control (control, birth weight between the 75th-90th percentiles, n = 30). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was used to generate metabolic fingerprints of umbilical cord plasma samples. Simultaneously, the metabolomic profiles of the mothers were analysed. The resulting data were subjected to chemometric, principal component and partial least squares discriminant analyses.
Results:
Umbilical cord plasma from LBW and control newborns displayed a clearly differentiated metabolic profile. Seven metabolites were identified that discriminate the LBW from the control group. LBW newborns had lower levels of choline, proline, glutamine, alanine and glucose than did the control newborns, while plasma levels of phenylalanine and citrulline were higher in LBW newborns (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups of mothers.
Conclusions:
Low birth weight newborns display a differential metabolomic profile than those of normal birth weight, a finding not present in the mothers. The meaning and the potential utility of the findings as biomarkers of risk need to be addressed in future studies.
