Early Urinary Metabolomics in Patent Ductus Arteriosus Anticipates the Fate: Preliminary Data

Introduction: In premature neonates, the persistence of hemodynamically significant ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) can be associated with short- and long-term consequences, impairing their outcome. The correct strategy of management for such condition is under debate, especially regarding contraindications and/or side effects. In recent years, metabolomics was applied to several perinatal, pediatric, and adult conditions to investigate potential biomarkers of disease, which have become useful for early diagnosis and/or therapeutic management. Aim of the Study: The main purpose of our exploratory study was to asses, through (1)H-NMR metabolomics analysis of urinary samples at birth, possible metabolic pathways differentiating, with a significant predictive power, those preterm neonates who will subsequently develop hsPDA and neonates of comparable gestational age (GA) who will undergo spontaneous ductal closure or the persistence of an irrelevant PDA (no-hsPDA). Moreover, we investigated potential prenatal or perinatal clinical factors potentially influencing the development of hsPDA. Materials and Methods: We enrolled n = 35 preterm neonates with GA between 24 and 32 weeks; urinary samples were collected within the first 12 h of life. Patients were closely monitored regarding intensive care, respiratory support, fluid balance and administered drugs; an echocardiogram was performed at 48–72 h. Results: Our results reported a significant correlation between lower GA at birth and the development of hsPDA. Moreover, neonates with GA ≤ 30w developing hsPDA were characterized by lower Apgar scores at 1′ and 5′, higher rates of perinatal asphyxia, higher need of delivery room resuscitation and subsequent surfactant administration. Interestingly, metabolomics analysis at birth detected a clear separation between the (1)H-NMR urinary spectra of subjects GA ≤ 30w not developing hsPDA (n = 19) and those of subjects born at GA ≤ 30w in which hsPDA was confirmed at 48–72 h of life (n = 5). Conclusions: This is the first study applying metabolomics to investigate the PDA condition. Although preliminary and conducted on a limited sample, our results reveal that metabolomics could be a promising tool in the early identification of hsPDA, potentially superior to the clinical or laboratory predictive tools explored to date and even to the clinical observations and correlations in our sample, through the detection of specific urinary metabolites.