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Updated: May 19, 2026
Biochemical Measurement of Neonatal Hypoxia
Published on: August 24, 2011
Biomarkers of oxidative stress in fetal and neonatal diseases
Serafina Perrone1, Maria Luisa Tataranno, Gemma Stazzoni
1Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Insights
Preterm infants have weak antioxidant defenses, making them vulnerable to free radical damage and related diseases. Identifying oxidative stress biomarkers can help predict and prevent newborn disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Perinatal Health
Background:
- Oxidative stress (OS) is a key factor in fetal and newborn diseases.
- Preterm infants possess underdeveloped antioxidant systems, increasing susceptibility to free radical (FR) damage.
- FRs cause cellular, tissue, and organ damage due to their reactivity with biomolecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of oxidative stress in perinatal diseases.
- To investigate the potential of oxidative stress biomarkers for predicting newborn conditions.
- To establish a biomarker profile for early identification of newborns at high risk for OS.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing isoprostanes for sensitive and specific measurement of lipid peroxidation, a marker of OS.
- Analyzing the relationship between the degree of OS and the severity of oxidative damage during pregnancy and the perinatal period.
- Evaluating the predictive value of OS biomarkers for diseases linked to oxidative injury.
Main Results:
- A direct correlation was observed between the level of OS and the severity of oxidative damage in the perinatal period.
- Isoprostanes offer a reliable method for assessing OS due to their specificity and sensitivity.
- OS biomarkers show potential for predicting diseases stemming from oxidative injury.
Conclusions:
- Oxidative stress significantly impacts fetal and newborn health, contributing to various diseases.
- Biomarker profiles for OS can enable early identification of at-risk newborns.
- Developing preventative and therapeutic strategies targeting OS may reduce neonatal disability.
Abstract:
Oxidative stress (OS) is strongly involved in the pathogenesis of many fetal and newborn diseases. A low efficient antioxidant systems in preterm babies are not able to counteract the harmful effects of free radicals (FRs), leading to "FRs-related disease" of newborns promoting cellular, tissue and organ damages. The dangerous effects of FRs are linked to their property of being very unstable molecules and their ability to react with lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, nucleic acids, causing functional alterations within the cell, until cell death. OS is difficult to be measured in vivo, because FRs have a very short half-life. Actually, measurements of lipid peroxidation reach high specificity and sensitivity with the discovery of stable compounds, isoprostanes. Recent studies evaluating the damaging effects of FRs in the perinatal period, have observed a direct relation between the degree of OS and the severity of oxidative damage in the course of pregnancy and in perinatal period, with an interesting predictive role of OS biomarkers for diseases resulting from oxidative injury. The validation of a biomarker profile for early identification of newborns at high risk of OS, will pave the way to new clinical preventative or therapeutic approaches to reduce the prevalence of neonatal disability.
