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Trace elements and antioxidant enzymes in extremely low birthweight infants
Andrea Loui1, Andrea Raab, Rolf F Maier
1Department of Neonatology, Charité Virchow Hospital, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. andrea.loui@charite.de
Summary
Premature infants often develop diseases linked to oxygen radicals. This study found that while trace elements decreased, antioxidant enzyme activity in extremely low birth weight infants did not correlate with these diseases.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Oxidative Stress Research
Background:
- Oxygen radicals are implicated in severe neonatal conditions like bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
- Antioxidant enzymes, crucial for combating oxidative stress, rely on trace elements as co-factors.
- Understanding the interplay between trace elements, antioxidant enzymes, and prematurity-related diseases is vital for improving infant outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between common prematurity diseases and alterations in antioxidant enzyme activities.
- To examine the relationship between these diseases and reduced levels of essential trace elements (Zn, Cu, Fe, Se).
- To assess the impact of erythropoietin (rhEPO) treatment on these parameters.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of plasma and red blood cell (RBC) trace elements (Zn, Cu, Fe, Se) and RBC antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [CuZn-SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px], catalase [CAT]) in 209 extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
- Measurements were taken on day 3 and day 68 of life.
- Comparison between infants who developed BPD, IVH, ROP, or NEC and those who did not, and between rhEPO-treated and control groups.
Main Results:
- Plasma Zn, Fe, Se, and RBC Se levels decreased significantly over the first 68 days of life.
- RBC Zn, CuZn-SOD, and CAT activities increased, while GSH-Px remained unchanged.
- Infants with BPD, IVH, ROP, or NEC exhibited higher CuZn-SOD and CAT activities at day 68.
- Elevated CuZn-SOD and GSH-Px at day 3, and CuZn-SOD at day 68, correlated positively with oxygen treatment duration.
- No significant differences were found between rhEPO and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Trace element concentrations decline in ELBW infants during the initial weeks of life.
- Despite decreasing trace elements, key antioxidant enzyme activities (CuZn-SOD, GSH-Px, CAT) were not diminished.
- The studied diseases of prematurity were not associated with reduced antioxidant enzyme activity, suggesting a complex etiological relationship.
