Developmental changes of plasma ganglioside concentration during the neonatal period

We investigated the developmental changes of plasma ganglioside concentration during the neonatal period. The mean plasma ganglioside concentration at birth was 8.22 +/- 3.70 nmol lipid-bound sialic acid (LBSA)/ml, significantly lower than the value in adults (12.05 +/- 1.36 nmol LBSA/ml, P less than 0.02). However, it increased rapidly early in the neonatal period and reached its maximum level at 14 days of age (16.25 +/- 6.04 nmol LBSA/ml), which was higher than that of adults (P less than 0.05); then it decreased slowly to the adult level at one month of age. The mean plasma ganglioside concentration in preterm infants (gestational age less than 37 weeks) was 6.65 +/- 3.35 nmol LBSA/ml, somewhat lower than that of fullterm infants (gestational age greater than or equal to 37 weeks, 9.90 +/- 3.39 nmol LBSA/ml, P less than 0.02) at birth. After birth, it increased much more rapidly in preterm infants and there was no significant difference between these two groups at 5 days of age. Plasma ganglioside concentration at birth increased gradually in correlation with gestational age. Our investigations show that plasma ganglioside concentration may reflect the development and maturation of the central nervous system to some degree, at least early in the neonatal period.