RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the features of serum metabolites in preterm infants based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and to find differentially expressed metabolites in the serum of preterm infants. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 19 preterm infants and 20 full-term infants before feeding. GC-MS was used to measure metabolic profiles, and the metabolic features of 397 serum metabolites in preterm infants were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in serum metabolic features between the preterm and full-term infants before feeding. There were significant differences between the full-term and preterm infants in the levels of metabolites such as O-phosphonothreonine, digicitrin, tannic acid, and fructose-1,6-diphosphate (P<0.01), suggesting that the above differentially expressed metabolites were highly differentiated between the preterm and full-term infants. Most differentially expressed metabolites were involved in the metabolic pathways such as ABC transporters, ß-alanine and pyrimidines and were correlated with some clinical parameters (albumin and total bilirubin) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant difference in serum metabolites between preterm and full-term infants before feeding. Metabolomics plays an important role in improving metabolic disorders and exploring metabolism-related diseases in preterm infants.