Abstract
This paper aimed to assess the influence of spontaneous labor upon endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin 1 (ET-1) during transition to extrauterine life. The serum levels of NO metabolites (the sum of nitrites and nitrates (NOx)) and the plasma level of ET-1 were determined in 53 healthy full-term infants (spontaneous labor group; n=40, cesarean delivery group; n=13). In both groups, blood samples were obtained from a cord vein at birth and from a peripheral vein at 5 days of age. The differences in serum NOx concentrations between the spontaneous labor group and the elective cesarean group were not significant at birth. By the age of 5 days, serum NOx concentrations had risen significantly in the spontaneous labor group to become significantly higher in the elective cesarean group. It is speculated that spontaneous labor might enhance endogenous NO synthesis at 5 days of age.
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