Pediatric snoring, a common manifestation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), can significantly impact children’s development. This study aimed to characterize the alterations in gut microbiota and metabolome associated with pediatric snoring. Fecal samples were collected from 30 snoring children and 30 matched healthy children, and analyzed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. Analysis of the gut microbiota revealed distinct community structures between the two groups. Key genera such as Faecalibacterium and Bacteroides were enriched in snoring children, whereas Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia were more abundant in healthy children. Functional prediction indicated significant perturbations in microbial metabolic pathways, including amino acid and lipid metabolism. Metabolomic profiling identified 214 significantly altered metabolites, with 101 upregulated and 113 downregulated in the snoring group. Notable changes were observed in metabolites such as L-Arginine, Guanosine, and N1-Acetylspermidine. Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted dysregulation in purine metabolism and bile secretion. A panel of the top differential metabolites demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing snoring children from controls. In conclusion, this multi-omics study reveals significant and coordinated disruptions in the gut microbiota and metabolome of children who snore. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the role of the gut-microbiota-metabolite axis in pediatric snoring and identify potential non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and future mechanistic investigations.
Chen et al. (Thu,) studied this question.