ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Pediatrics 2024 June;76(3):404-13

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5276.20.06128-9

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Urinary metabolome of infants with colic treated with Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938: a pilot randomized trial

Francesco SAVINO ¹, Vassilios FANOS ², Antonio NOTO ³, Deborah BIGGIO ⁴, Claudia FATTUONI ⁴ ✉, Luigi BARBERINI ³

¹ Unit of Subintensive Neonatal Care, Department of Pediatrics, Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy; ² Unit of Neonatal Intensive Care, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; ³ Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; ⁴ Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

BACKGROUND: Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 is the only probiotic recommended for treatment of colicky infants, but its mechanism of action is not clear. The study aim was to examine urinary metabolomic fingerprint of colicky breastfed infants before and after 1 month of orally administered Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 or placebo.
METHODS: This randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out with a well-documented probiotic. Thirty-two infants were enrolled, 16 in the probiotic group and 16 in the placebo group. Urine samples were collected from each subject before starting supplementation and at the end of the study period. Metabolomic profiles were obtained using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry instrument. Subsequently, to compare groups before and after probiotic supplementation, univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were performed.
RESULTS: In the L. reuteri treated group all metabolites for all class of nutrients (sugars, amino acids, carboxylic acids) resulted more abundant after the study period. The comparison with a control group (placebo treated), confirmed this effect on urines.
CONCLUSIONS: The metabolomic analysis of urine samples from infants treated with L. reuteri DSM 17938 allowed to detect some interesting features related to the effect of this treatment on urinary metabolome. To validate the results, a test on a larger cohort is required.

KEY WORDS: Lactobacillus reuteri; Colic; Urine; Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Metabolomics