Neonatal hair metabolome of birthweight discordant twins is associated
with neurobehavioral impairments at 2-3 years of age
Abstract
Objective: To characterize the metabolic variation in neonatal
hair samples associated with intrauterine growth discordance in
dichorionic-diamniotic (DCDA) twins and to evaluate the effects of
specific metabolic alterations on later neurobehavioural outcomes in
infancy. Design: Cohort-based case-control study
Setting: Peking University Third Hospital Population:
DCDA twins with birth weight discordance(DCDA-D) and birthweight
concordance (DCDA-C) within a twin cohort recruited between September
2017 and December 2018 in Beijing, China. Methods: A specific
hair metabolic profile of 14 pairs of DCDA-D twins was revealed using
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry by comparing that of 28 pairs of
DCDA-C twins. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the relationship
between the neonatal hair metabolome and neurocognitive outcomes,
assessed using the Ages and the Infant’s Stages Questionnaires, third
edition (ASQ-3) at 2 or 3 years of age. Main outcome measure:
neonatal hair metabolome and long-term neurodevelopment.
Results: A total of seventeen hair metabolites were
significantly different within DCDA-D twin pairs compared to DCDA-C
twins. Particularly, reduced levels of cysteine, threonine, and leucine
were identified in both the larger and smaller DCDA-D twins compared
with DCDA-C twins. The deregulated metabolic pathways including
cysteine, methionine, aminoacyl-tRNA, nicotinate, and nicotinamide
metabolism biosynthesis pathways in DCDA-D groups were positively
correlated with infant neurocognitive development at 2 or 3 years of
age, especially in problem-solving domains. Conclusion:
Neonatal hair metabolic variations in utero of growth discordance in
DCDA twins may be associated with poor neurocognitive development.
Metabolome profiles of hair may be novel predictors of infant
neurodevelopment longitudinally.