Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul 5;12(7):1996.
doi: 10.3390/nu12071996.

Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid Levels Are Associated with Early Systemic Inflammation in Extremely Preterm Infants

Ann Hellström  1 , William Hellström  2 , Gunnel Hellgren  1   3 , Lois E H Smith  4 , Henri Puttonen  2   5 , Ing-Marie Fyhr  5 , Karin Sävman  2   6 , Anders K Nilsson  1 , Susanna Klevebro  1   7
Affiliations

Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid Levels Are Associated with Early Systemic Inflammation in Extremely Preterm Infants

Ann Hellström et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Fetal and early postnatal inflammation have been associated with increased morbidity in extremely preterm infants. This study aimed to demonstrate if postpartum levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) were associated with early inflammation. In a cohort of 90 extremely preterm infants, DHA and AA in cord blood, on the first postnatal day and on postnatal day 7 were examined in relation to early systemic inflammation, defined as elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and/or interleukin-6 (IL-6) within 72 h from birth, with or without positive blood culture. Median serum level of DHA was 0.5 mol% (95% CI (confidence interval) 0.2-0.9, P = 0.006) lower than the first postnatal day in infants with early systemic inflammation, compared to infants without signs of inflammation, whereas levels of AA were not statistically different between infants with and without signs of inflammation. In cord blood, lower serum levels of both DHA (correlation coefficient -0.40; P = 0.010) and AA (correlation coefficient -0.54; p < 0.001) correlated with higher levels of IL-6. Levels of DHA or AA did not differ between infants with and without histological signs of chorioamnionitis or fetal inflammation. In conclusion, serum levels of DHA at birth were associated with the inflammatory response during the early postnatal period in extremely preterm infants.

Keywords: inflammation; interleukin-6; polyunsaturated fatty acid; preterm infant.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The sponsors had no role in the design, execution, interpretation, or writing of the study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations between IL-6 and (A) DHA, (B) AA in cord blood.IL-6 presented on log2 scale. n = 40. Abbreviations: IL-6, interleukin-6, DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; AA, arachidonic acid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Gotsch F., Romero R., Kusanovic J.P., Mazaki-Tovi S., Pineles B.L., Erez O., Espinoza J., Hassan S.S. The fetal inflammatory response syndrome. Clin. Obstet. Gynecol. 2007;50:652–683. doi: 10.1097/GRF.0b013e31811ebef6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hofer N., Kothari R., Morris N., Müller W., Resch B. The fetal inflammatory response syndrome is a risk factor for morbidity in preterm neonates. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2013;209:542.e1–542.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2013.08.030. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bose C., Laughon M., Allred E.N., Van Marter L.J., O’Shea T.M., Ehrenkranz R.A., Fichorova R., Leviton A. Elgan Study Investigators Blood protein concentrations in the first two postnatal weeks that predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia among infants born before the 28th week of gestation. Pediatr. Res. 2011;69:347–353. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e31820a58f3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuban K.C.K., Joseph R.M., O’Shea T.M., Heeren T., Fichorova R.N., Douglass L., Jara H., Frazier J.A., Hirtz D., Rollins J.V., et al. Circulating Inflammatory-Associated Proteins in the First Month of Life and Cognitive Impairment at Age 10 Years in Children Born Extremely Preterm. J. Pediatr. 2017;180:116–123. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.09.054. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Uauy R., Mena P., Rojas C. Essential fatty acids in early life: Structural and functional role. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 2000;59:3–15. doi: 10.1017/S0029665100000021. - DOI - PubMed