title: Oxidative stress is not enhanced in non-malnourished infants with persistent diarrhea.
abstract: Increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depleted antioxidant defences have been implicated in a cycle of infection, malabsorption and malnutrition, leading to persistent diarrhea. In order to determine whether in non-malnourished children oxidative stress predisposes to the development of persistent diarrhea, infants with acute diarrhea (< 7 days) (n = 39) were compared to infants with persistent diarrhea (> 14 days) (n = 38). Lipid peroxidation was assessed by the TBARs assay and expressed as malondialdehyde equivalent content (nmol MDA/ml plasma), and levels of plasma antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E were determined. In infants with acute and persistent diarrhea nutritional status, as assessed by weight/height and height-for-age, hemoglobin levels, serum albumin and immunoglobulin levels, did not differ between groups. Serum vitamin A and vitamin E levels did not differ in infants with acute or persistent diarrhea. TBARs, expressed as nmol MDA/ml plasma did not differ between infants with acute or persistent diarrhea and furthermore did not differ from levels in a healthy, similar age, control group. Non-malnourished infants with persistent diarrhea do not exhibit plasma antioxidant depletion or enhanced lipid peroxidation. In these infants, oxidative stress, as reflected in plasma, does not play a role in the pathogenesis of persistent diarrhea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. etgranot@md2.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Granot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Binsztok
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Deckelbaum
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Weizman
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E