Development of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia is associated with alterations in fecal volatile organic compounds

• Published in: Pediatric research Vol. 83; no. 2; pp. 412 - 419
• Main Authors: Berkhout, Daniel J C, Niemarkt, Hendrik J, Benninga, Marc A, Budding, Andries E, van Kaam, Anton H, Kramer, Boris W, Pantophlet, Charlene M, van Weissenbruch, Mirjam M, de Boer, Nanne K H, de Meij, Tim G J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.02.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/4020/2741/2135; 692/699/1785; 692/700/1720/3187; 692/700/1750; Biomarkers; Feces; Lung diseases; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Microbiota; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; population-study; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0031-3998; 1530-0447; 1530-0447
• DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.268

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs), obtained by means of an electronic nose device (Cyranose 320), as early non-invasive biomarker for BPD. Methods In this nested case–control study performed at three Neonatal Intensive Care Units, fecal samples obtained at postnatal age of 7, 14, 21, and 28 days from preterm infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were compared with fecal VOC profiles from matched controls. Microbiota analysis was performed by means of IS-pro technique on fecal samples collected at 28 days postnatally. Results VOC profiles of infants developing severe BPD ( n =15) could be discriminated from matched controls ( n =15) at postnatal age of 14 days (area under the curve (±95% confidence interval), P -value, sensitivity, specificity; 0.72 (0.54–0.90), 0.040, 60.0%, 73.3%), 21 days (0.71 (0.52–0.90), 0.049, 66.7%, 73.3%) and 28 days (0.77 (0.59–0.96), 0.017, 69.2%, 69.2%) but not at 7 days. Intestinal microbiota did not differ between BPD subjects and controls. Conclusion Fecal VOC profiles of infants developing BPD could be differentiated from controls at postnatal day 14, 21, and 28. VOC differences could not be directed to intestinal microbiota alterations but presumably reflect local and systemic metabolic and inflammatory pathways associated with BPD.