Differences in the Gut Microbiota Composition and Metabolites Associated With Feeding Intolerance in VLBW Infants With a Gestational Age of ≤ 30 Weeks: A Pilot Study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo explore the main variations in gut microbiota compositions, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentrations and autoinducer-2 (AI-2) levels in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with feeding intolerance (FI).MethodsTwenty-seven VLBW infants with gestational ages of ≤30 weeks were divided into the FI group (n=14) and feeding tolerance (FT) group (n=13). The gut microbiota composition and SCFAs concentrations and AI-2 levels in feces were detected at 2 and 4 weeks after birth.ResultsThere was no difference in alpha diversity between the two groups at 2 and 4 weeks after birth (P>0.05). Although the Chao index decreased (P<0.05), there was no difference in the Shannon index from 2 weeks to 4 weeks in either the FI or FT group (P>0.05). Additionally, there was no difference in beta diversity between the FI and FT groups at 2 weeks (P>0.05), but there was a significant difference in beta diversity between the two groups at 4 weeks (P<0.05) and a large difference from 2 weeks to 4 weeks in both the FI and FT groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the composition of the microbiota at 4 weeks was significantly different from that at 2 weeks in the FI group (P<0.05). The Veillonella abundance was lower at 4 weeks in the FI group (P<0.05), but there were no differences in the compositions of the other main microbes between the two groups (P>0.05). Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant in both the FI and FT groups. The concentrations of propanoic, valeric and hexanoic acids were lower in the FI group at 2 weeks, and the levels of isobutyric and valeric acids were lower at 4 weeks after birth (P<0.05). The areas under the curves (AUCs) of propanoic, butanoic and valeric acids in predicting FI were 0.878, 0.816 and 0.744, respectively. Compared with that in the FT group, the relative bioluminescence of AI-2 was lower in the FI group at 2 weeks (P<0.05), and the AUC was 0.736.ConclusionsThe main composition of the microbiota was not obviously different in infants with FI. Some SCFAs and AI-2 have moderate value in predicting FI.

Gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids may be new biomarkers for predicting neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: A pilot study

“…The infants enrolled in our study were those who presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, and those in Group C were mostly diagnosed with FI. FI can lead to a decrease in diversity and changes in beta diversity, and studies have shown a pattern similar to NEC in patients who developed FI ( La Rosa et al, 2014 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2022 ), which can explain why the diversity showed no differences in our study.…”

“…Genomic DNA of the fecal microbiota was extracted with a QIAamp FAST DNA Stool Mini-Kit (Qiagen, Hilden Germany) as previously described ( Liu et al, 2022 ). DNA extracts were tested on a 1% agarose gel, and the concentration and purity were assessed with a spectrophotometer (NanoDrop 2000 UV–vis, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA).…”

“…The methods have been previously described ( Liu et al, 2022 ). Standards for acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, isovaleric, and hexanoic acids were prepared with ethyl acetate and 4-methylvaleric acid to standard concentration gradients of 0.1 μg/mL, 0.5 μg/mL, 1 μg/mL, 5 μg/mL, 10 μg/mL, 20 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL.…”

Characteristics of Gut Microbiota in Small for Gestational Age Infants with Very Low Birth Weight

“…The influence of the microbiome on compensatory growth or extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) was not included because the weight of most of the SGA infants was still below the 10th percentile at the time of discharge. Feeding, weight gain, and catch-up growth are related to microbial community structure [ 10 , 22 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. In a rat model, the decrease in the abundance of Lactobacillus was significantly associated with catch-up growth [ 10 ].…”

Succinate aggravates intestinal injury in mice with necrotizing enterocolitis

“…Although the pathogenesis of NEC is complex and multifactorial, large amounts of evidence have reported that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays an essential role in NEC occurrence and progression ( Claud and Walker, 2001 ; Tarracchini et al., 2021 ). Previous studies revealed that neonates with NEC have significantly different gut microbiomes than non-NEC neonates ( Liu et al., 2022b ): the diversity of bacteria is reduced, and the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae is increased in neonates with NEC, which can activate TLR4 and promote NEC progression ( Shaw et al., 2021 ). Additionally, with the change in the gut microbiota, metabolites show corresponding changes; the affected metabolites are generally considered to act as a bridge between flora and host communication and may also be involved in the pathogenesis of NEC ( Krautkramer et al., 2021 ; Zhou et al., 2022a ).…”