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[State of the antioxidant system in premature newborn infants during early postnatal period]
Insights
Premature infants show disorganized antioxidant systems, impacting fatty acid levels and cell sensitivity. Full-term infants exhibit a more organized antioxidant system during early life.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neonatal Physiology
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- The antioxidant system (AOS) is crucial for protecting against oxidative stress.
- Neonatal development, especially in premature infants, is vulnerable to oxidative damage.
- Understanding the AOS in neonates is vital for assessing health and developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the antioxidant system parameters in full-term and premature infants.
- To investigate the functional integrity of enzymatic and hormonal components of the AOS in neonates.
- To explore the relationship between AOS function and fatty acid metabolism in premature infants.
Main Methods:
- Studied key antioxidant system parameters including glutathione peroxidase, reductase, superoxide dismutase, ceruloplasmin, estriol, and estradiol.
- Analyzed 58 normal full-term infants and 178 premature infants during the early neonatal period.
- Assessed functional disorganization in enzymatic and hormonal components of antiperoxide defense.
Main Results:
- Normal full-term infants displayed a more organized AOS with distinct phasic changes in the first week of life.
- Premature infants exhibited functional disorganization in both enzymatic (especially glutathione) and hormonal AOS components.
- This disorganization contributed to polysaturated fatty acid deficiency, altered membrane lipid content, and reduced cell sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- The antioxidant system's functional disorganization in premature infants is a significant factor in their altered physiological state.
- Impaired AOS in preterm neonates leads to deficiencies in essential fatty acids and affects cellular responses.
- Findings highlight the critical role of a mature antioxidant system for healthy neonatal development and cellular function.
Abstract:
The main parameters of the antioxidant system--AOS (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, ceruloplasmin, estriol, estradiol) were studied in 58 normal full-term infants and in 178 premature infants in the course of the early neonatal period. In the control group, the functioning of the AOS appeared more perfect and was characterized by phasic changes in the course of the first week of life. The premature infants demonstrated functional disorganization of both enzymatic (glutathione in particular) and hormonal components of the system of antiperoxide defence. This circumstance played a substantial part in the development of polysaturated fatty acids deficiency, which determined in turn the modification of the membrane lipid content and selective loss of cell sensitivity to neuro-humoral actions and unbalance in the system of cyclic nucleotides.