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Oxidative Stress in Preterm Newborns
Chiara Lembo1, Giuseppe Buonocore1, Serafina Perrone2
1Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Insights
Preterm infants face high oxidative stress (OS) risks, leading to serious health issues. This review explores OS biomarkers for early diagnosis and new antioxidant therapies to prevent and treat these conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Pediatric Pathology
Background:
- Preterm infants exhibit an imbalance in oxidant and antioxidant systems, increasing susceptibility to oxidative stress (OS).
- Free radical (FR) generation causes significant oxidative damage to multiple organs and systems in newborns.
- OS is a primary factor in typical premature infant diseases like bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on oxidative stress in preterm newborns.
- To highlight new findings on OS biomarkers for early diagnosis.
- To discuss the implementation of antioxidant strategies for disease prevention and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of scientific articles and clinical studies.
- Analysis of current research on oxidative stress biomarkers in neonates.
- Synthesis of data on antioxidant therapeutic approaches for preterm infants.
Main Results:
- Oxidative stress is implicated in numerous severe conditions affecting preterm infants.
- Various biomarkers are identified for early detection of free radical-mediated diseases.
- Emerging antioxidant strategies show promise for managing these conditions.
Conclusions:
- Oxidative stress poses a significant threat to preterm infant health, contributing to major morbidities.
- OS biomarkers are crucial for early identification of at-risk newborns.
- Targeted antioxidant therapies are essential for preventing and treating diseases and sequelae in preterm infants.
Abstract:
Preterm babies are highly susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) due to an imbalance between the oxidant and antioxidant systems. The generation of free radicals (FR) induces oxidative damage to multiple body organs and systems. OS is the main factor responsible for the development of typical premature infant diseases, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, kidney damage, eryptosis, and also respiratory distress syndrome and patent ductus arteriosus. Many biomarkers have been detected to early identify newborns at risk of developing a free radical-mediated disease and to investigate new antioxidant strategies. This review reports the current knowledge on OS in the preterm newborns and the newest findings concerning the use of OS biomarkers as diagnostic tools, as well as in implementing antioxidant therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases and their sequelae.
