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Fasting gastric fluid and fecal polyamine concentrations in premature infants
P P Forget1, P L Degraeuwe, C Smeets
1Department of Pediatrics, AZM Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Gastric polyamine levels in premature infants exceed those in human milk or formulas. Fecal polyamine concentrations, particularly cadaverine and putrescine, are high, likely due to bacterial activity, and are not linked to infant growth.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neonatal Physiology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- The role of milk polyamines in infant gastrointestinal development is unclear.
- Polyamines are more concentrated in human milk than in infant formulas.
- Limited data exists on luminal polyamine concentrations in premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure gastric fluid and fecal polyamine concentrations in premature infants.
- To compare gastric polyamine levels with those in milk and infant formulas.
- To investigate relationships between polyamine concentrations, infant age, and growth rate.
Main Methods:
- High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed.
- Gastric fluid and fecal samples were analyzed for polyamine concentrations.
- Measurements were taken during the postnatal period in premature infants.
Main Results:
- Gastric polyamine levels (putrescine, spermidine, spermine, cadaverine) in the first week were higher than in human milk or formulas.
- Fecal polyamine concentrations, especially cadaverine and putrescine, were significantly elevated.
- No correlation was found between polyamine concentrations and infant age or growth rate.
Conclusions:
- Fasting gastric polyamine concentrations in premature infants are higher than reported for milk or formulas.
- Elevated fecal cadaverine and putrescine concentrations are likely of bacterial origin.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of these findings for infant health.
Background:
The role of milk polyamines in the development of the gastrointestinal tract of human infants is presently unknown. Polyamine concentrations are higher in human milk than in infant formulas. The aim of the present study was to gather data on luminal polyamines by measuring gastric fluid and fecal polyamine concentrations in premature infants during the postnatal period. We further compared gastric fluid polyamine concentrations with those reported for milk and looked for possible relationships between luminal polyamine concentrations, age, and growth rate.
Methods:
High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the measurement of polyamine concentrations in both fecal and gastric fluid samples.
Results:
Ninetieth centiles for gastric polyamines during the first week were 62, 28, 82, and 14 microM for putrescine, spermidine, spermine, and cadaverine, respectively. These values are higher than those reported for human milk and infant formulas. Polyamine concentrations were unrelated to either age or growth rate. Ninetieth centiles for fecal polyamines during the first week were 7668, 5176, 53, and 75 microM for cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, respectively.
Conclusions:
Fasting gastric fluid polyamine concentrations in premature infants are higher than those reported for either human milk or infant formulas. The high fecal cadaverine and putrescine concentrations are probably of bacterial origin.