Evaluation of biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in the cord blood of preterm low birth weight neonates.

Objective: The objective of the study is to investigate the association between oxidative stress markers and enzymatic / non-enzymatic antioxidants (marker of the resistance in body to oxidative damage) in the cord blood of preterm low birth weight (LBW) neonates.
Methods: Malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyl proteins, total antioxidant capacity and Vitamin A, E and C levels in the cord blood were determined by spectrophotometry.
Results: Increased lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation with decreased values of vitamin A, E, C and total antioxidant capacity were observed in the preterm LBW newborns. Observations of negative correlation between MDA and protein carbonyl with antioxidants vitamin A, E and C and total antioxidant status points towards the existence of oxidative stress in the preterm LBW newborns.
Conclusions: Poor fetal growth affects the development of antioxidant defenses of preterm LBW babies, predisposing them to higher oxidative stress, which in turn may partly account for increased morbidity and mortality in these infants. The presence of an association between oxidative stress biomarkers and enzymatic /non-enzymatic antioxidants in the cord blood of preterm LBW neonates suggest that increased oxidative stress may be the result of changes in the levels of certain enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants due to the cause or the effect of oxidative damage occurring at the molecular level.