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Choline concentrations are lower in postnatal plasma of preterm infants than in cord plasma

Wolfgang Bernhard1, Marco Raith, Rebecca Kunze

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Eberhard-Karls-University, Calwer Straße 7, 72076, Tūbingen, Germany, wolfgang.bernhard@med.uni-tuebingen.de.

European Journal of Nutrition
|August 24, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Preterm infants show a significant drop in plasma choline after birth, indicating undernourishment. This choline deficiency may negatively impact infant development and cognitive outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Biochemistry
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Choline is vital for fetal brain development, bile formation, and methyl group donation.
  • Maternal choline supply is linked to infant cognitive outcomes.
  • Reduced placental choline transfer may disrupt homeostasis in preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare postnatal plasma choline, betaine, and dimethylglycine (DMG) levels in preterm infants with cord and maternal blood.
  • To assess the impact of postmenstrual age (PMA) on these metabolite concentrations.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma samples were collected from very low-birth-weight infants (n=162) and cord blood (n=176) across a range of PMAs (24-42 weeks).
  • Maternal serum (n=36) and healthy women's plasma (n=40) were also analyzed.
  • Metabolite concentrations were quantified using tandem mass spectrometry.

Main Results:

  • Cord plasma choline inversely correlated with PMA and was lower in female term infants.
  • Postnatal choline levels in preterm infants dropped by 50% within 48 hours.
  • Betaine and DMG levels showed correlations with choline across all studied groups.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm infants experience significant postnatal choline depletion, suggesting undernourishment.
  • This choline deficiency may contribute to adverse outcomes in preterm infants.
  • Further research into choline supplementation for preterm infants is warranted.
Abstract

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