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[Changes in leucocyte metabolism during growth in children born with malnutrition]
Insights
Children with intrauterine malnutrition show lower energy metabolism in leucocytes at birth. However, their energy metabolism accelerates, surpassing normal children by two years, indicating catch-up growth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Metabolism
- Leukocyte Energy Metabolism
- Biochemical Maturation
Background:
- Energy metabolism in leukocytes plays a crucial role in immune function and overall child development.
- Intrauterine malnutrition and prematurity can impact early-life metabolic programming and long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding leukocyte energy metabolism provides insights into the adaptive responses of infants to nutritional deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in leukocyte energy metabolism in children born under different nutritional and gestational conditions.
- To compare the energy metabolism profiles of term-born infants with normal weight, intrauterine malnutrition, and premature infants.
- To assess the biochemical maturation trajectory of leukocytes in response to early-life nutritional status.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking energy metabolism markers in three groups of children: normal term, intrauterine malnutrition, and premature.
- Cross-sectional analysis to corroborate findings on biochemical maturation.
- Measurement of adenylate kinase activity and concentrations of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in leukocytes.
Main Results:
- At birth, malnourished infants exhibited significantly lower adenylate kinase activity and ATP, ADP, and AMP concentrations compared to normal infants.
- By one year, enzyme activity normalized, while ATP and ADP concentrations were higher in malnourished children.
- At two years, most measured parameters (except AMP) were higher in malnourished children than in term-born normal controls, suggesting accelerated maturation.
Conclusions:
- Infants born with intrauterine malnutrition demonstrate altered leukocyte energy metabolism at birth, with a significant deficit in key metabolites.
- A notable catch-up in energy metabolism occurs, with malnourished children showing accelerated biochemical maturation and higher metabolic activity by two years of age.
- These findings highlight the adaptive metabolic plasticity in response to early nutritional challenges.
Abstract:
Changes of energy metabolism in leucocytes have been studied longitudinally as well as cross-sectionally in three groups of children born: 1.- at term, with normal weight; 2.- with intra-uterine malnutrition; 3.- prematurely. The longitudinal study showed that, at birth, the activity of adenylate kinase as well as concentrations of ATP, ADP AND AMP were significantly lower in the malnourished than in the normal child. At one year of age, the values of enzyme activity are approximately equal in both groups, while the concentrations, of ATP and ADP are higher in malnourished children. Finally, at two years of age all values found, with the exception of AMP concentration, were higher in malnourished than in normal children born at term. In the data of the cross-sectional study this accelerated biochemical maturation is also shown.