| Objective: To investigate the levels and roles of serum growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods: From October 2005 to April 2006, there were 54 (male 29 and female 25) neonates with HIE who came from the Central Hospital and the First People Hospital of Tai'an. Serum GH and PRL levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in the 54 neonates with HIE (20 mild, 19 moderate and 15 severe HIE) at the acute and convalescence stages. Twenty neonates without hypoxic-ischemic brain damage were used as controls.Result: During the acute stage, analysis of variance indicated that serum GH and PRL levels in each sub-group of HIE [mild (40.79±5.76) ug/L, (62.35±8.14) ug/L, moderate(21.04±5.70)ug/L,(111.90±20.85)ug/L and severe(15.23±5.02) ug/L, (156.38±26.22) ug/L, respectively] and the controls group [ (41.79 ±6.47) ug/L, (59.36 ±9.62) ug/L] had significantly differences (F=95.40,123.66, P<0.001) ; The results of multiple comparison by LDS-t-test indicated that serum GH levels were significantly lower, but PRL levels were significantly higher in moderate and severe HIE neonates at acute stage Compared with those of controls and mild HIE neonates (GH t=-12.88,-13.15, -10.61, -10.90, P<0.001;PRL t=16.10,16.61,9.05,9.59, P<0.001); Similarly, there were noticeable differences in serum GH and PRL levels between the severe and moderate HIE case (t=-2.90,7.53, P<0.01) ; The serum GH and PRL levels in mild HIE were not different from that of the control group (t=-0.29,0.55, P>0.05) . During the convalescence stage, analysis of variance indicated that serum GH and PRL levels in each sub-group of HIE [mild (37.92±5.64) ug/L, (60.65±9.48)ug/L, moderate (40.61±8.04)ug/L, (53.71±9.66)ug/L and severe (38.55±7.74) ug/L,(59.43±8.47) ug/L, respectively] restored to the levels of controls[ (38.71±5.81) ug/L (54.93±9.53) ug/L], just the same to the results of multiple comparison by LDS-t-test; Serum GH levels increased and PRL levels decreased in moderate and severe HIE neonates compared with those at the acute stage, but there were not the same change in mild HIE and the control group. There were a closely negative correlation between GH and PRL levels at acute stage of HIE (r=-0.8759 P<0.001), but the negative correlation was very light at the convalescence stage (r=-0.2538 P=0.029) .Conclusion: GH and PRL might be involved in the pathophysiological process of HIE, the levels of GH and PRL closely relate to the severity of HIE at the acute stage, thus GH and PRL is closely related to the severity of brain damage. The research has shown that GH and PRL play an opposition effect on the response of the cell functionality. This study suggests that the protective role of GH against hypoxic-ischemic injury, which offers the possibility of a GH application for the treatment of neonatal HIE. Serum PRL levels could considered as a good reference index for evaluating the severity of the brain damage and monitoringseizure in HIE. |
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