Association of Cesarean Delivery and Formula Supplementation with the Stool Metabolome of 6-Week-Old Infants

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Cesarean delivery and formula feeding have both been implicated as important factors associated with perturbations to the infant gut microbiome. To investigate the functional metabolic response of the infant gut microbial milieu to these factors, we profiled the stool metabolomes of 121 infants from a US pregnancy cohort study at approximately 6 weeks of life and evaluated associations with delivery mode and feeding method. Multivariate analysis of six-week stool metabolomic profiles indicated discrimination by both delivery mode and diet. For diet, exclusively breast-fed infants exhibited metabolomic profiles that were distinct from both exclusively formula-fed and combination-fed infants, which were relatively more similar to each other in metabolomic profile. We also identified individual metabolites that were important for differentiating delivery mode groups and feeding groups and metabolic pathways related to delivery mode and feeding type. We conclude based on previous work and this current study that the microbial communities colonizing the gastrointestinal tracts of infants are not only taxonomically, but also functionally distinct when compared according to delivery mode and feeding groups. Further, different sets of metabolites and metabolic pathways define delivery mode and diet metabotypes.

Source: Metabolites

DOI: 10.3390/metabo11100702

Authors: Anne G. Hoen, Modupe O. Coker, Juliette C. Madan, Wimal Pathmasiri, Susan McRitchie, Erika F. Dade, Brett T. Doherty, Susan Sumner, Margaret R. Karagas

Institutions: Dartmouth College, Dartmouth Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers Health, Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language: English

Topic: Gut microbiota and health

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,944

Funders: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dartmouth College, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Director, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine

OpenAlex ID: W3205264348