Urine metabolites and viral pneumonia among children: a case-control study in China

BACKGROUND: Viral pneumonia in children is common and has grave consequences. The study aims to better understand the pathophysiological processes involved in the onset and progression of viral pneumonia and identify common effects or biomarkers across different viruses. METHODS: This study collected urine samples from 96 patients with viral pneumonia including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (n=30), influenza virus (IV) (n=23), parainfluenza virus (PIV) (n=24), and adenovirus (ADV) (n=19), and 31 age- and sex-matched normal control (NC) subjects. The samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to identify endogenous substances. The XCMS Online platform was utilized for data processing and analysis , including feature detection, retention time correction, alignment, annotation, and statistical analysis for difference between groups and biomarker identification. RESULTS: A total of 948 typical metabolites were identified using the XCMS Online platform with the Mummichog technique. After analyzing the data, 24 metabolites were selected as potential biomarkers for viral pneumonia, of which 16 were aspartate and asparagine metabolites, byproducts of alanine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation, and butanoate metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: This study specific metabolites and altered pathways in children with viral pneumonia and propose that these findings could contribute to the discovery of new treatments and the development of antiviral drugs.