Metabonomics profile analysis in inflammation-induced preterm birth and the potential role of metabolites in regulating premature cervical ripening

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is the primary cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Moreover, previous studies have established that PTB is related to premature cervical ripening. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study sought to identify differentially expressed metabolites and investigate their potential biological functions in PTB. METHODS: Pregnant C57BL/6 J mice were treated with either LPS or normal saline and cervical alterations before labor were detected by staining. Metabolic profiles in the plasma of PTB and control mice were examined through non-targeted metabonomics analyses, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining were performed on human cervical smooth cells. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of α-SMA, SM-22, and calponin in cervical smooth muscle cells of PTB mice were lower while OR was higher at both mRNA and protein levels compared to the CTL group. A total of 181 differentially expressed metabolites were analyzed, among them, 96 were upregulated, while 85 were downregulated in the PTB group. Differentially expressed metabolites may play a role in STAT3, RhoA, mTOR, TGF-β, and NK-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, when treated with taurine, the levels of α-SMA and SM-22 in human cervical smooth muscle cells were elevated, whereas that of connexin-43 was decreased. CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted the changes of metabolites in the peripheral blood changed prior to PTB and revealed that these differentially expressed metabolites might participate in the development of premature cervical ripening. Taurine was identified as an important metabolite may modulate human cervical smooth muscle cells. Our study provided new insights into the mechanism underlying premature cervical ripening in PTB. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12958-022-01008-y.