- Title
- The influence of sex and antenatal betamethasone exposure on vasoconstrictors and the preterm microvasculature
- Creator
- Stark, Michael J.; Hodyl, Nicolette A.; Wright, Ian M. R.; Clifton, Vicki
- Relation
- Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine Vol. 24, Issue 10, p. 1215-1220
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/14767058.2011.569618
- Publisher
- Informa Healthcare
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2011
- Description
- Objective: Dysregulated vascular resistance contributes to hypotension following preterm birth with sex-specific differences in microvascular function conferring a male disadvantage. We hypothesized that glucocorticoid mediated, sex-specific differences in the endogenous catecholamine norepinephrine and endothelially derived endothelin-1 (ET-1) contribute to microvascular dysfunction in preterm neonates in the immediate newborn period. Methods: Umbilical and plasma ET-1 and normetanephrine, in 24 h urine samples, were determined at 24, 72, and 120 h of age in 24–34 week infants (n=60). Microvascular blood flow was determined by laser Doppler flowmetry. Results: In infants born within 72 h of antenatal glucocorticoid exposure, normetanephrine was higher in females than males (p=0.048). Normetanephrine was inversely correlated with both microvascular blood flow at 24 h (p=0.025) and CRIB II (p=0.001). While umbilical arterial ET-1 was higher in females delivered <72 h after antenatal betamethasone (p=0.006), plasma ET-1 did not correlate with microvascular blood flow or illness severity. Only sex and normetanephrine contributed significantly to both microvascular blood flow and endothelium dependant vasodilatation. Conclusions: These data support glucocorticoid mediated, sex-specific differences in mediators of vascular tone that may contribute to the impaired mechanisms compromising successful hemodynamic adaption to neonatal life and resulting in excess male morbidity and mortality.
- Subject
- neonate; glucocorticoids; endothelin-1; normetanephrine; vascular tone
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1047485
- Identifier
- uon:14780
- Identifier
- ISSN:1476-7058
- Language
- eng
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