scholarly journals Gut microbial-related metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide and its precursor L-carnitine are associated with spontaneous preterm birth: a nested case-control study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Chen ◽  
Ning Huang ◽  
Chaoqun Liu ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
Lulu Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Gut microbiota has been proven to disease susceptibility and may lead to increased risk of preterm birth. To date, the link of gut microbial-related metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), L-carnitine, and betaine, with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) has not been established. This study aimed to investigate the association of TMAO, L-carnitine and betaine, with sPTB risk. Methods: A nested case-control study was designed including 129 sPTB cases and 258 controls based on Guangxi Birth Cohort Study. TMAO, L-carnitine, and betaine level in maternal serum were determined by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between maternal serum metabolites and sPTB. Stratified analyses were further conducted according to BMI and preterm prelabor rupture of membranes. Spline analyses were performed to explore the dose-response relationship between the metabolites and sPTB.Results: Statistically significant association with decreased sPTB risk was observed for the highest L-carnitine (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.95). In risk analyses stratified by BMI, similar results were observed in normal weight gravida (BMI: 18.5~23.9 kg/cm2). The significant subtype-specific association with TMAO (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.93) and L-carnitine (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.97) were observed for preterm labor but not PPROM. Spline regression analysis indicated non-linear associations with TMAO and sPTB risk (P for nonlinearity: 0.057). Significant associations of TMAO with sPTB were observed in normal weight gravida (P = 0.028) and preterm labor subtype (P = 0.025). No statistically significant associations with sPTB risk were observed for betaine (P > 0.05).Conclusions: TMAO and L-carnitine levels in maternal serum are inversely linked with sPTB risk. Discovery of the association between gut-microbiota initiated TMAO metabolism and sPTB may open new avenues for diagnose and therapy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongni Huang ◽  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Xiyao Liu ◽  
Yuxiang Bai ◽  
Mengshi Wu ◽  
...  

Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Deficiency of effective predict methods is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Numbers of researchers spare no efforts to investigate differential indicators. To evaluate the value of the differential indicators, a prospective nested case-control study was carried out. Among an overall cohort of 1,050 pregnancies, 20 sPTB pregnancies, and 20 full-term pregnancies were enrolled in this study. Participants were followed-up until labor. The psychological profile was evaluated utilizing the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale at 11–14 weeks. Stress-related biomarker-cortisol and metabolites were detected by Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay (ECLIA) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) in serum samples during pregnancy, respectively. The expression level of cortisol was up-regulated in serum and the score of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale was significantly higher in the sPTB group when compared to the control group. Note that, 29 metabolomics were differentially expressed between the sPTB group and the control group. The scores of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, the level of cortisol, Eicosane, methyltetradecanoate, and stearic acid in serum were selected to establish the model with lasso logistic regression. Validation of the model yielded an optimum corrected AUC value of 89.5%, 95% CI: 0.8006–0.9889 with a sensitivity of 100.0%, and specificity of 78.9%. In conclusion, this study establishes a prediction model of sPTB with five variables, which may predict sPTB more accurately and sensitively in the second trimester.


Cytokine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 91-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lulu Huang ◽  
Qingzhi Hou ◽  
Yaling Huang ◽  
Juan Ye ◽  
Shengzhu Huang ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Chiudzu ◽  
Augustine T. Choko ◽  
Alfred Maluwa ◽  
Sandra Huber ◽  
Jon Odland

AbstractPreterm birth is delivery before 37 completed weeks. A study was conducted to evaluate the association of maternal serum concentrations of selenium, copper, and zinc, and preterm birth. There were 181 women in this nested case-control study, 90/181 (49.7%) term and 91/181 (50.3%) preterm pregnant women. The overall mean serum concentration of selenium was 77.0; SD 19.4µg/L, copper was 2.50; SD 0.52 mg/L and zinc was 0.77; SD 0.20 mg/L with reference values of 47-142µg/L, 0.76-1.59mg/L and 0.59-1.11 mg/L, respectively. For preterm birth, mean serum concentrations for selenium was 79.7; SD 21.6µg/L, copper was 2.61; SD 0.57 mg/L, and zinc was 0.81; SD 0.20 mg/L compared to that of term births: selenium (74.2; SD 16.5µg/L; p=0.058), copper (2.39; SD 0.43 mg/L; p = 0.004), and zinc (0.73; SD 0.19 mg/L; p = 0.006) respectively. In adjusted analysis, every unit increase in maternal selenium concentrations gave increased odds of being a case OR 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99; 1.03), p=0.234, copper OR 1.62 (95% CI: 0.80; 3.32); p = 0.184, zinc OR 6.88 (95% CI: 1.25; 43.67); p=0.032. Results show that there was no deficiency of selenium, and zinc; and high serum concentrations of copper in pregnancy. Preterm birth was associated with higher maternal serum concentrations of copper and zinc.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Grace Chiudzu ◽  
Augustine T. Choko ◽  
Alfred Maluwa ◽  
Sandra Huber ◽  
Jon Odland

Preterm birth is delivery before 37 completed weeks. A study was conducted to evaluate the association of maternal serum concentrations of selenium, copper, and zinc and preterm birth. There were 181 women in this nested case-control study, 90/181 (49.7%) term and 91/181 (50.3%) preterm pregnant women. The overall mean serum concentration of selenium was 77.0, SD 19.4 μg/L; of copper was 2.50, SD 0.52 mg/L; and of zinc was 0.77, SD 0.20 mg/L with reference values of 47-142 μg/L, 0.76-1.59 mg/L, and 0.59-1.11 mg/L, respectively. For preterm birth, mean serum concentration for selenium was 79.7, SD 21.6 μg/L; for copper was 2.61, SD 0.57 mg/L; and for zinc was 0.81, SD 0.20 mg/L compared to that for term births: selenium (74.2; SD 16.5 μg/L; p=0.058), copper (2.39; SD 0.43 mg/L; p=0.004), and zinc (0.73; SD 0.19 mg/L; p=0.006), respectively. In an adjusted analysis, every unit increase in maternal selenium concentrations gave increased odds of being a case OR 1.01 (95% CI: 0.99; 1.03), p=0.234; copper OR 1.62 (95% CI: 0.80; 3.32), p=0.184; zinc OR 6.88 (95% CI: 1.25; 43.67), p=0.032. Results show that there was no deficiency of selenium and zinc and there were high serum concentrations of copper in pregnancy. Preterm birth was associated with higher maternal serum concentrations of copper and zinc.


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