Plasma antioxidant status in preterm infants in health and disease and its relation to vitamin C concentration at birth

Concentrations of circulating antioxidants may be important in the etiology of disease in preterm infants. We aimed at measuring vitamin C. ceruloplasmin and ability of plasma to prevent lipid peroxidation at birth and observing the variation of these measures with gestational age. We also examined the relation between plasma antioxidant activity in diseased preterm infants and their mortality. 30 diseased preterm infants requiring intensive care, 20 healthy preterm and 15 healthy full term infants were enrolled in the study. The antioxidant activity of plasma [ul plasma required to inhibit lipid peroxidation], plasma vitamin C and ceruloplasmin were measured. Diseased preterm infants showed significantly higher vitamin C, and significantly lower ceruloplasmin and antioxidant activity of plasma than healthy preterm and full term infants. In the preterm infants, there was a strong negative correlation between plasma antioxidant activity and vitamin C. Diseased preterm infants who died showed significanrly lower plasma antioxidant activity than those who survived