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Fecal short-chain fatty acids predict digestive disorders in premature infants
O Szylit1, C Maurage, P Gasqui
1Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système Digestif, Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France.
Insights
Fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles in preterm neonates can predict gastrointestinal changes. Specific SCFA alterations correlate with digestive issues like bleeding, offering a noninvasive diagnostic tool.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal nutrition and metabolism
- Gastrointestinal physiology
- Microbiome research
Background:
- Fecal short-chain volatile fatty acids (SCFAs) reflect colonic and colonocyte metabolism.
- Understanding SCFA profiles in neonates is crucial for assessing gut health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish an average fecal SCFA profile in preterm neonates.
- To identify SCFA profile changes associated with clinical events and therapies.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed SCFA profiles from 185 stool samples of 46 preterm neonates.
- Correlated SCFA data with digestive disorders and therapeutic interventions.
Main Results:
- Total SCFA concentration increased significantly in the first 20 days of life.
- Butyric acid (C4) ratio increased in healthy neonates; phototherapy altered SCFA concentrations and ratios.
- Bleeding was associated with a >50% increase in C4, while antibiotic therapy suppressed SCFA production.
Conclusions:
- Changes in fecal SCFA profiles can serve as a noninvasive marker for gastrointestinal functional modifications.
- SCFA profiling may help anticipate pathologic events, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, before clinical signs appear.
Background:
Excretion of fecal short-chain volatile fatty acids (SCFAs) may indicate changes in colonic or colonocyte metabolism. The aim of this study was to detect the existence of an average fecal SCFA profile and to define which changes were associated with clinical events that occurred during the survey period.
Methods:
SCFA profiles of 185 stool samples collected from 46 fed preterm neonates (mean birth weight, 1920 g; mean gestational age, 32.8 weeks) were evaluated and their association with digestive disorders or therapy was explored.
Results:
Total SCFA concentration increased from 0 to 80 micromol/g feces wet weight over the first 20 days of life. A basic SCFA profile revealed the existence of a highly sensitive period between the second and the third week of life. In the absence of any digestive problem (n = 15), the butyric acid (C4) ratio increased from 7% to 24%. Phototherapy (n = 13) enhanced the SCFA concentration but decreased the ratios of C4 and minor acids. Digestive disorders reported included abdominal distention (n = 6) or bleeding (n = 8). Only in the case of bleeding was the SCFA profile changed by an enhancement of C4 by >50%. Antibiotic therapy (n = 3) suppressed SCFA production.
Conclusions:
This study supports a hypothesis that changes in the SCFA profile could offer a noninvasive method to anticipate functional modifications of the gastrointestinal tract before the first clinical signs of pathologic events, including necrotizing enterocolitis.