ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1639057
Association between neurodevelopmental disorders in congenital heart disease and changes in circulatory metabolites and gut microbiota composition
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- 2Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Neurodevelopmental disorder (ND) has emerged as a critical factor affecting the long-term quality of life among patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study was to provide a multi-omics perspective on the mechanisms of ND.We analyzed the serum metabolome and gut microbiome of children with ND and non-ND (NND) in CHD populations.In this prospective observational study, we identified associations between serum metabolites, gut microbial, and ND. Linolenic acid was most closely related to neurodevelopmental outcomes, showing positive correlations with multiple neurodevelopmental domains. Among the gut microbiota, the Escherichia genus was most strongly associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes, and negative correlations with neurodevelopmental domains.This multi-omics study reveals significant association between altered serum metabolites, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with CHD. The microbes and metabolites identified here may contribute to addressing the challenge of ND in the CHD population. Based on our findings, therapeutic strategies to reduce the risk of ND could be developed, including targeted manipulation of the gut microbiota and metabolites.Keywor ds: Neurodevelopmental disorders, Gut microbiota, Metabolites, Congenital heart disease.Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting 1%-1.2% of babies born each year [1]. Following advances in surgical and cardiological therapy, more than 90% CHD now survived to adulthood [2], resulting in greater appreciation and interest in long-term health outcomes, such as neurodevelopment. Neurodevelopmental disorder (ND) is now recognized as a lifespan issue for many CHD children especially in cyanotic CHD (CCHD) [3]. More than 50% CHD demonstrate mild to moderate ND and later cognitive impairment [4]. Early manifestations of ND typically included poor feeding, speech and
Keywords: Neurodevelopmental disorders, Gut Microbiota, Metabolites, congenital heart disease, Infant
Received: 03 Jun 2025; Accepted: 16 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 An, Qiang, Bai, Ma, Yang, Yu and Mo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xu Ming Mo, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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