Nitric oxide production during the early neonatal period in small‐for‐gestational‐age infants

Abstract

In a study of endogenous nitric oxide production in growth-retarded, very preterm newborns (<32 wk GA), urinary NOx/creatinine ratio and plasma guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate levels were determined during the early neonatal period. Newborns were divided into three groups: appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA, n = 19), moderately small-for-gestational-age (SGA, n = 13) and severely SGA (n = 6) infants. Severely SGA infants showed significant higher values of nitric oxide derivatives during the first 24 h of life compared with the other groups. An increased NO production is found in SGA infants during the first 24 h after birth. This may reflect an increased intrauterine nitric oxide production in the feto-placental circulation found in cases with intrauterine growth retardation,