Enzyme Activities in Erythrocytes of Term and Preterm Newborns

Abstract

The decrease of erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity should be considered as a possible cause of hemolysis when there is no evidence of an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, no consumptive red blood cell disorder, no morphologic or laboratory data to suggest a problem of the red cell membrane, and no evidence of a quantitative or qualitative defect in hemoglobin synthesis. Glutatione has a pilot role in orchestrating the redox balance when there is an excess reactive oxygen species production or defective antioxidant defenses that may have deleterious consequences in various perinatal diseases. Neonatal erythrocytes are a target of extracellular free radicals and in the same time generators of free radicals through Fenton reaction. The complex mechanism underlying the increased oxidative stress susceptibility of neonatal erythrocytes requires further investigation.