title: Plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine in premature neonates: its possible involvement in developmental programming of chronic diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The endothel dysfunction in early life may play a role in developmental programming of cardiovascular morbidity. The changes of dimethylarginines' plasma levels during the first month among preterm infants and their determinants had been investigated in our study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty preterm infants of healthy mothers were studied. Mean (+/-SD) birth weight and gestational age were 919.5 +/- 235.5 g and 26.7 +/- 1.6 weeks, respectively. Blood samples were taken by venipuncture at the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days. Plasma concentrations of L-arginine, asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method, evaluated by multivariate linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  L-arginine (p < 0.001) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels (p < 0.001) were positively associated with postnatal age. ADMA levels were negatively correlated with gestational age (p = 0.007), dopamine-need on the 3rd day of life (p = 0.015) and late infection (p = 0.038). The higher birth weight was associated with higher L-arginine (p = 0.052) and ADMA (p = 0.002) concentrations. The dopamine-need on the 7th day of life had a significant effect on postnatal elevation of SDMA levels (p = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The progressive increase of ADMA levels described by our study among preterm infants suggests that early endothel dysfunction may take part in developmental programming of chronic adult diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. gabriella.vida@aok.pte.hu
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vida
authors.forename: Endre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sulyok
authors.forename: Orsolya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lakatos
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ertl
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martens-Lobenhoffer
authors.forename: Stefanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bode-Böger
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine