Metabolic subtypes and biomarkers in preterm and term neonates via targeted screening

Abstract Preterm infants exhibit metabolic immaturity, yet metabolic heterogeneity within this population remains underexplored. We performed targeted metabolomics on dried blood spots from 448 preterm (32–36 weeks) and 351 term neonates (37–40 weeks of gestation) using tandem mass spectrometry. Compared with term infants, preterm neonates showed significantly elevated tyrosine, leucine/isoleucine, arginine, and hydroxyoctadecenoylcarnitine (C18:1-OH), along with reduced glutamate (false discovery rate