Effects of lutein on oxidative stress in the term newborn: a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
Oxidative stress (OS) plays a crucial role in pathological conditions during the early neonatal period. The newborns are susceptible to oxidative damage due to high metabolic rate and low levels of antioxidant enzymes. Lutein has been found to have protective functions in adult humans as antioxidant.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of lutein on OS in newborns. We tested the hypothesis that lutein would act both by increasing antioxidant capacity and inhibiting OS.


METHODS
This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center study. 20 healthy term newborns were assigned to receive lutein or placebo (lutein and control group, respectively) at 12 and 36 h after birth. Total hydroperoxides (TH), as marker of OS, and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), as marker of antioxidant power, were detected on cord blood and at 48 h of life in all babies.


RESULTS
TH significantly increased from birth to 48 h in the control group (p = 0.02), but not in the lutein group. In the lutein group, BAP significantly increased after 48 h (p = 0.02), showing a strengthening of antioxidant activity due to lutein. At 48 h of life, compared with those in the control group, neonates assigned to receive lutein had significantly lower TH levels (p = 0.04) and higher BAP levels (p = 0.028).


CONCLUSIONS
Lutein administration in newborns increases the levels of BAP decreasing TH. The enhancement of antioxidant activity in plasma clearly results in protecting newborn from perinatal OS. These preliminary results, adding a new contribution in antioxidant strategies, strongly require to be confirmed by RCT.
Perrone
Serafina
S
Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Policlinico Le Scotte University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Longini
Mariangela
M
Marzocchi
Barbara
B
Picardi
Anna
A
Bellieni
Carlo V
CV
Proietti
Fabrizio
F
Rodriguez
Antonello
A
Turrisi
Giovanni
G
Buonocore
Giuseppe
G
D001034:Apgar Score; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014975:Lutein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood; D010865:Pilot Projects; D047929:Term Birth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D010545:Peroxides; D014975:Lutein