Indian Pediatrics - Editorial

Letters to the Editor

Indian Pediatrics 2001; 38: 1429

Sialic Acid Levels in Healthy Preterm and Fullterm Infants

Sialic acid is a part of gangliosides which are carbohydrate-rich complex lipids of large size and great complexity which are found in cell membranes, especially neuronal cell membranes(1). We studied serum total sialic acid (TSA) levels in healthy preterm and full-term infants to determine the relationship between gestational age and TSA.

The study included 38 preterm and 31 fullterm healthy infants. The gestational age of the preterm and fullterm infants were between 23-36 weeks (32.20 ± 2.80 weeks) and 38-40 weeks (39.15 ± 0.81 weeks), respectively. The weight of the preterm and fullterm infants were between 600-2300 g (1567 ± 442 g), and 2800-3550 g (3206 ± 183 g), respectively. Serum TSA levels were studied on the first day of the life in the both groups by spectrophotometric method(3). The approximate cost of estimating serum TSA in each case was one dollar.

Serum TSA levels were 89.65 ± 6.12 mg/dl and 101.63 ± 9.78 mg/dl in preterm and fullterm infants, respectively (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant positive correla-tion between gestational age and serum TSA levels in preterm group (r = 0.325, p <0.05). Serum TSA level increased in correlation with gestational age.

Although gangliosides were discovered some 50 years ago, their potential role in neuronal functions has been appreciated only recently. During development, their composition and concentration changes in a variety of animal species(1). Sasaki et al(2) showed that the mean plasma ganglioside concentration in preterm infants was lower than that of fullterm infants at birth and they suggest that plasma ganglioside concentration may reflect the development and maturation of the central nervous system to some degree, at least early in the neonatal period. Our findings demonstrated that mean serum TSA level in preterms was lower than that of fullterms and there was a positive correlation between gestational age and serum TSA levels in preterm infants.

Dilara ÕIçaÃgasioÃglue,
Hüseyin Çaksen,
Bülent Yildiz, Öge Çetinkaya,
Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine,
Sivas, T021ukey and Yuzuncu Yil
University Faculty of Medicine, Van, Turkey.

Correspondence to:
Dilara ÕIçaÃgasioÃglue,
Demetgül mah, 13, soik. Serap apt. No. 3/14,
Demetevler, Ankara, Turkey.
E-mail: [email protected]

References

1. Gorio A. Ganglioside enchancement of neuronal differentiation, plasticity, and repair. Crit Rev Clin Neurobiol 1986; 2: 241-296.

2. Barry GT, Abbott V, Tsai T. Relationship of colonimic acid (poly N-acetylneurominic acid) to bacteria which contain neurominic acid. J Gen Microbiol 1962; 29: 335-352.

3. Sasaki H, Momoi T, Yamanaka C, Kaji M, Mikawa H. Developmental changes of plasma ganglioside concentration during the neonatal period. Early Hum Dev 1989; 20: 143-150.