Peptidomics analysis of umbilical cord blood reveals potential preclinical biomarkers for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

Aims The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathophysiology and discover novel predictors of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) from a peptidomics perspective. Main methods Comparative profiling of umbilical cord blood from NRDS and control patients was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry technology. The underlying biological functions of the differentially expressed peptides (DEPs) were predicted by Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analyses. The interactions of DEPs and their precursor proteins were explored by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). The sources and stability of DEPs were determined by online databases, including UniProt, SMART and ProtParam tool. Key findings A total of 251 DEPs were identified, of which 139 peptides were upregulated, and 112 peptides were downregulated (fold change ≥2.0, P < 0.05). These DEPs were predicted to be associated with respiratory failure, atelectasis, and morphogenesis of endothelial cells. These processes indicated that DEPs may play a role in NRDS. Among them, eleven stable DEPs might be used as preclinical biomarkers. Significance Our findings improve our understanding of NRDS and facilitate the discovery of candidate diagnostic biomarkers for NRDS from the perspective of peptidomics.