The Assessment of Fecal Volatile Organic Compounds During Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a devastating disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract of the preterm infant. There is currently no biomarker that can diagnose NEC early with high sensitivity and specificity. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have emerged as a non-invasive biomarker in many diseases. We hypothesized that fecal VOC profiles would be significantly different between control and NEC pups in a mouse model of experimental necrotizing enterocolitis. Methods: Experimental NEC was induced in five-day-old C57BL/6J …