Sex differences in the blood metabolome of extremely preterm infants: a pilot study on the impact of antibiotic therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite growing recognition of sex differences in medicine, little is known about their role in neonatology, particularly among extremely premature infants (EPI, < 28 weeks gestation), who face high morbidity and mortality driven by infections. Antibiotics therapy is widely used but may alter cellular metabolism, leading to adverse drug reactions. However, pharmacological studies in EPI remain limited, and sex-dependent effects of antibiotic treatments are largely unexplored. This study investigated sex-related metabolomic differences in EPI in relation to antibiotic exposure.

Methods

Targeted mass spectrometry (MS) was applied to dried blood spots (DBS) collected within the neonatal screening program of the Campania region (Italy) between 2018 and 2023. Amino aci

SUBMITTER: Costanzo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12798127 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature