Tandem Mass Analysis of Amino Acids and Acylcarnitine Profiles in Neonates with Congenital Hypothyroidism

Abstract

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common neonatal endocrine disorder. This study aimed to investigate whether disturbances in amino acid metabolism and fatty acid oxidation existed in neonates with CH compared to healthy neonates.

Methods: In this case-control study, we evaluated the metabolomics of neonates with newly diagnosed CH and healthy neonates. Forty-three metabolites, including 13 amino acids and 30 acylcarnitines, were investigated.

Results: Two hundred neonates with CH and 209 healthy children were enrolled. The mean age of males and females was 4.8 ± 2.4 and 5.52 ± 3.2 days in the case group and 5.1 ± 2.6 and 4.7 ± 3.6 days in the control group, respectively. Of the metabolites, 34 were significantly different between the two groups. Five amino acids and four acylcarnitines did not differ significantly between groups.

Conclusion: These findings pave the way for a better understanding of the relationship between alterations and the clinical manifestation of CH, which has the potential for identifying novel therapeutics.

Keywords: Amino acid; acylcarnitine; acylcarnitines; congenital hypothyroidism; fatty acid oxidation; tandem mass.