Antioxidant profiles in full term and preterm neonates.
BACKGROUND
Free radical damage has been recognized to be a common pathogenic mechanism of many neonatal diseases associated with oxygen toxicity.


METHODS
A set of antioxidant measurements were used to investigate differences in levels between full term and premature infants after birth. Four groups of full term and preterm infants were enrolled, including full term appropriate-for-age (FT-AGA), full term small-for-age (FT-SGA), larger preterm (LPT) and smaller preterm infants (SPT). After birth, seven antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) represented by the NADPH ratio (NADPH, the reduced form of NADP)/(NADPNADPH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and vitamins A and E were measured.


RESULTS
FT-SGA infants had significantly lower levels of GSH, NADPH ratio and vitamin A than the FT-AGA infants but higher CAT, G6PD and vitamin E levels. LPT infants had lower levels of CAT, GSH, NADPH ratio and vitamin A but higher G6PD activity than the FT-AGA infants. SPT infants showed the same pattern of differences in various antioxidants as those of the LPT infants when compared to FT-AGA infants. Vitamin E levels did not statistically differ between SPT and LPT infants. SPT infants had significantly lower levels of GSH and NADPH ratio than the LPT infants.


CONCLUSIONS
Intrauterine growth retardation and prematurity may influence antioxidant imbalance and free radical damage. In addition, such data for healthy full term and preterm infants may be used as reference data when evaluating antioxidant deficiency in high-risk neonates.
Lee
Yuan-Shun
YS
Department of Pediatrics, St Paul's Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chou
Yi-Hung
YH
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D002374:Catalase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D009249:NADP / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood
D000975:Antioxidants; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D009249:NADP; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005978:Glutathione