Harnessing the glycolysis-TCA cycle axis to boost host defense against neonatal infection

ABSTRACT: Preterm infants are highly susceptible to infections that can lead to sepsis, yet therapies beyond antibiotics are limited. Nutrition and host energy metabolism are known as immune modulators, but how they interact to mediate newborn host infection defense remains poorly understood. Here, we identify tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites as key modulators of early life infection outcomes. First, in a birth cohort of 700 children, elevated plasma TCA metabolite levels were associated with reduced infection burdens and systemic inflammation. Next, in a piglet neonatal sepsis model, sustained hepatic TCA cycle activity was associated with survival. These led us to explore clinically relevant nutritional strategies boosting TCA cycle activity. Substituting glucose in parenteral nutrition

SUBMITTER: Ziyuan Wu 

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-10_1038-S44321-026-00463-Z | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other