Plasma proteome changes in cord blood samples from preterm infants

Abstract

Objective: In the presented study, we aimed to systematically analyze plasma proteomes in cord blood samples from preterm infants stratified by their gestational age to identify proteins and related malfunctioning pathways at birth, possibly contributing to the complications observed among preterm infants.

Study design: Preterm newborns were enrolled of three subgroups with different gestation age: newborns born ≤26 (group 1), between 27 and 28 (group 2) and between 29 and 30 (group 3) weeks of gestation, respectively, and compared to the control group of healthy, full-term newborns in respect to their plasma proteome composition.

Result: Preterm delivery is associated with multiple protein abundance changes in plasma related to a plethora of processes, including inflammation and immunomodulation, coagulation, and complement activation as some key features.

Conclusion: Plasma proteome analysis revealed numerous gestation-age-dependent protein abundance differences between term and preterm infants, which highlight key dysregulated pathways and potential new protein treatment targets.