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Early postnatal changes of lipoprotein subclass profile in late preterm infants

Nobuhiko Nagano1, Tomoo Okada, Ryuta Yonezawa

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Clinica Chimica Acta; International Journal of Clinical Chemistry
|October 4, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Late preterm infants show distinct cholesterol concentrations in lipoprotein subclasses at birth and altered postnatal changes compared to term infants. These findings highlight differences in early lipid metabolism for late preterm infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Health
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Perinatal Medicine

Background:

  • Late preterm infants (34-37 weeks gestation) face increased morbidity risks compared to term infants.
  • Nutritional support, including cholesterol and fatty acids, is hypothesized to improve late preterm infant outcomes.
  • Early postnatal lipid metabolism in late preterm infants requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the lipoprotein subclass profile in late preterm infants.
  • To evaluate early postnatal lipid metabolism in late preterm infants.
  • To compare lipid profiles between late preterm and term infants.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 81 infants: 25 late preterm infants and 56 term infants.
  • Cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in 12 lipoprotein subclasses were measured.
  • Measurements were taken at birth (cord blood) and at 1 month of age using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

  • Late preterm infants had higher cord blood cholesterol in medium/large VLDL, LDL, and HDL subclasses than term infants.
  • During the first month, late preterm infants showed greater increases in VLDL cholesterol subclasses.
  • Postnatal increases in LDL and HDL cholesterol subclasses were smaller in late preterm infants compared to term infants. Triglyceride concentrations did not differ significantly across VLDL subclasses.

Conclusions:

  • Late preterm infants exhibit unique cord blood lipoprotein subclass profiles.
  • Early postnatal changes in cholesterol concentrations differ significantly between late preterm and term infants.
  • These differences in lipid metabolism warrant further clinical consideration for late preterm infants.
Abstract

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