Clinical Study On The Changes Of Plasma Melatonin Level In Neonates After Perinatal Asphyxia

Objective:To explore the changes of plasma melatonin (MT) level in neonates after perinatal asphyxia, and elucidate the function of melatonin in the pathogenesis and the prognosis of asphyxia and its complication (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, HIE) and provide the pathophysiology basis for management of hypoxic-ischemic disease with melatonin.Methods:Determine the levels of plasma melatonin in the umbilical blood of 12 normal term infants and in the femoral vein blood of 36 asphyxia neonates- include 12 modest asphyxia and 24 severe asphyxia neonates- in their acute stage and recovery stage respectively with enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 12 HIE newborns are the part of 24 severe asphyxia ones. And we compared the difference of the melatonin level among these neonates.Results:1. In the acute stage, the melatonin level in asphyxia neonates was higher than the normal (p<0.05); also, in the recovery stage, the melatonin level was obviously higher than the normal(p<0.01); and the level in the recovery stage was higher than that of the acute stage (p<0.01).2. In the acute stage, the melatonin levels were no difference between the asphyxia without HIE and the normal(p>0.05); in the asphyxia without HIE, the melatonin level in the recovery stage was higher than that of the acute stage (p<0.01); while there was no difference in HIE between that of the recovery stage and that of the acute stage (p>0.05); in the acute stage, the melatonin level in HIE was higer than that of those without HIE(P<0.01); there was no difference in the recovery stage between them(p>0.05).Conclusions:1. The melatonin level in the asphyxia is higher than the normal both in the acute and recovery stage, which is indicated that melatonin has protection action on the asphyxia.2. In the asphyxia complicate with HIE, the melatonin level has heightening tendency in the acute stage , while there is no difference between the recovery stage and the acute stage. That is, brain injured in HIE has suppression action on the secretion of melatonin.