title: The choice of amniotic fluid in metabolomics for the monitoring of fetus health.
abstract: Amniotic fluid (AF) is a biological fluid in which metabolite transport is regulated by the placenta, the permeable skin, fetal lung egress and gastric fluid. During pregnancy, the composition of AF changes from similar to the interstitial fluid of the mother, to a more complex system, influenced by the fetus's urine. Since AF reflects the mother's and the fetus's health status at the same time, it may be an important diagnostic tool for a wider spectrum of clinical conditions. Indeed, the metabolic characterization of AF in relation to pathological occurrences may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers for a better clinical practice. For this reason, metabolomics may be the most suitable strategy for this task. In this review, research works on metabolomic AF analysis are discussed according to the morbidity of interest, being preterm birth/labor, gestational age and diabetes and fetal malformations, along with a number of other important studies.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences , University of Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palmas
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences , University of Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fattuoni
authors.affiliation: b Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Cagliari and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit , Cagliari , Italy.|c Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section , Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noto
authors.affiliation: d Department of Public Health Clinical and Molecular Medicine , University of Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barberini
authors.affiliation: b Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Cagliari and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit , Cagliari , Italy.|c Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section , Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dessì
authors.affiliation: b Department of Surgical Sciences , University of Cagliari and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit , Cagliari , Italy.|c Puericulture Institute and Neonatal Section , Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria , Cagliari , Italy.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fanos
mesh_terms: D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000379:methods*; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: Metabolomics; NMR; PTB; amniotic fluid; fetal malformations; gestational age; gestational diabetes; mass spectrometry; perinatal conditions; pregnancy