Longitudinal profiles of the fecal metabolome during the first 2 years of life

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Elizabeth A Holzhausen, University of Colorado Boulder; Natalie Shen, Emory University; Bridget Chalifour, University of Colorado Boulder; ViLinh L Tran, Emory University; Zhenjiang Li, Emory University; Jeremy Sarnat, Emory University; Howard Chang, Emory University; Dean Jones, Emory University; Michael I Goran, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Donghai Liang, Emory University; Tanya L Alderete, University of Colorado Boulder
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-12-01
• Publisher: Springer Nature Limited
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2023
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28862-z
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Scientific Reports
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 1886
• End Page: 1886
• Keywords: Specimen Handling; Humans; Metabolome; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Bacteria
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

During the first 2 years of life, the infant gut microbiome is rapidly developing, and gut bacteria may impact host health through the production of metabolites that can have systemic effects. Thus, the fecal metabolome represents a functional readout of gut bacteria. Despite the important role that fecal metabolites may play in infant health, the development of the infant fecal metabolome has not yet been thoroughly characterized using frequent, repeated sampling during the first 2 years of life. Here, we described the development of the fecal metabolome in a cohort of 101 Latino infants with data collected at 1-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-months of age. We showed that the fecal metabolome is highly conserved across time and highly personalized, with metabolic profiles being largely driven by intra-individual variability. Finally, we also identified several novel metabolites and metabolic pathways that changed significantly with infant age, such as valerobetaine and amino acid metabolism, among others.