Iron homeostasis in full-term, normal birthweight Gambian neonates over the first week of life.

ABSTRACT: Human neonates elicit a profound hypoferremia which may protect against bacterial sepsis. We examined the transience of this hypoferremia by measuring iron and its chaperone proteins, inflammatory and haematological parameters over the first post-partum week. We prospectively studied term, normal weight Gambian newborns. Umbilical cord vein and artery, and serial venous blood samples up to day 7 were collected. Hepcidin, serum iron, transferrin, transferrin saturation, haptoglobin, c-reactive protein, α1-acid-glycoprotein, soluble transferrin receptor, ferritin, unbound iron-binding capacity and full blood count were assayed. In 278 neonates we confirmed the profound early postnatal decrease in serum iron (22.7 ± 7.0 µmol/L at birth to 7.3 ± 4.6 µmol/L during the first 6-24 h after birth)

SUBMITTER: Cross JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10293170 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature