Abstract
ABSTRACT: Umbilical cord sera were obtained from three groups of newborn infants; group I ((n = 8) and group II (n = 12) weighed less than 1500 g and between 1500 and 2500 g, respectively. Group III (n = 16) was full term and weighed more than 2500 g. Lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase activities, determined as the rates of esterification of [3H]cholesterol, were 0.13 ± 0.01, 0.17 ± 0.01, and 0.26 ± 0.01 (mean ± SEM) nmol/h/ml for groups I, II, and III, respectively. The adult value (n = 8) was 0.96 ± 0.01 nmol/h/ml. The respective apolipoprotein A1 (apo-A1) levels were 52 ± 6, 59 ± 4, and 67 ± 4 (mean ± SEM) mg/ dl. Serum level of apo-A1 in adults was 137 ± 6 mg/dl. Plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased with gestational age. However, in newborn infants, high-density lipoprotein apo-lipoprotein B, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, were significantly lower than in adults. These data indicate that serum levels of lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase activity significantly (p < 0.01) increase whereas the levels of apo-A1 do not significantly change with the gestational age. Also, in full-term new-borns, lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase activity is only 27%, whereas apo-A1 levels are 49% of adult values. Therefore, lower levels of apo-A1 do not account for the significantly lower activity of lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase in preterm as compared to full-term newborn infants.
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Amr, S., Chowdhry, P., Hamosh, P. et al. Low Levels of Apolipoprotein A1 Are Not Contributors to the Low Lecithin-Cholesterol Acyl Transferase Activity in Premature Newborn Infants. Pediatr Res 24, 191–193 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198808000-00010
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198808000-00010