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HPLC-(Q)-TOF-MS-Based Study of Plasma Metabolic Profile Differences Associated with Age in Pediatric Population Using

Oihane E Albóniga1,2, Oskar González-Mendia3, María E Blanco1

  • 1Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain.

Metabolites
|August 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Plasma metabolic profiling in piglets reveals significant age-related changes in lipid metabolism. This study highlights specific lipids like lysophosphatidylcholines, crucial for understanding pediatric drug development.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Pediatric Pharmacology
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Accurate drug dosing in pediatrics requires understanding biological development.
  • Invasive tissue sampling for organ maturation studies is challenging.
  • Plasma offers a non-invasive surrogate for assessing organ metabolism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related metabolic profiles in piglet plasma.
  • To identify key metabolites reflecting developmental changes.
  • To establish plasma metabolomics as a tool for pediatric research.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma samples from piglets of different ages (newborn, infant, child) analyzed using HPLC-(Q)-TOF-MS.
  • Multiblock principal component analysis (MB-PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) applied for data analysis.
  • Univariate analysis to identify significant discriminatory metabolites.

Main Results:

  • MB-PCA improved clustering compared to classical PCA.
  • PLS-DA effectively separated age groups, validated by bootstrapping and permutation testing.
  • Significant age-discriminatory metabolites identified: 13 in positive and 21 in negative ionization modes.
  • Key identified metabolites include acylcarnitine, glycerophospholipids, lysophosphatidylcholines, and lysophosphatidylethanolamines.

Conclusions:

  • Plasma metabolomics can effectively track age-related biological development in piglets.
  • Lipid metabolism, particularly involving lysophosphatidylcholines and lysophosphatidylethanolamines, undergoes significant changes with age.
  • These findings support plasma as a valuable matrix for pediatric drug development and metabolic studies.

Keywords:
animal modelglycerophospholipidsmass spectrometrymetabolic profilespediatric population

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