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EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS L‐ALANINE ADMINISTRATION ON PLASMA GLUCOSE, INSULIN AND GLUCAGON, BLOOD PYRUVATE, LACTATE AND BETA‐HYDROXYBUTYRATE CONCENTRATIONS IN NEWBORN INFANTS Study in Term and Preterm Newborn Infants
Author(s) -
SANN L.,
RUITTON A.,
MATHIEU M.,
BOURGEOIS J.,
GENOUD J.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1978.tb16324.x
Subject(s) - medicine , glucagon , endocrinology , glycemic , insulin , gestational age , basal (medicine) , pregnancy , biology , genetics
. Ten term and eleven preterm newborn infants with appropriate weights for their gestational age were infused for one minute with L‐alanine (150 mg/kg) at the age of 29 to 76 hours (mean 48 hours) and circulating levels of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, d ‐betahydroxybutyrate ( d ‐BOHB), insulin and glucagon were monitored. Plasma glucose concentrations increased from 2.7±0.16 (mean±S.E.M.) to 3.7±0.2 mmol/1 after 50 min (p±0.01) in term infants. In preterm infants, after an initial decrease of the glucose level from 3.1±0.16 to 2.6±0.16 mmol/1 (p±0.05), it returned to the baseline level at 50 min: 3.0±0.2 mmol/1. The blood concentration of d ‐BOHB decreased in term infants from 192±37 to 112±6 μM/1 (p±0.01) after 40 min. In preterms, its decrease was not significant (p±0.05). Plasma glucagon levels rose from 53±5 to 70±8 pmol/1 after ten minutes (p±0.01) in term infants and from 61±6 to 75±9 after 20 min (p±0.01) in preterm infants. There were no significant changes in plasma insulin concentrations in either group. Forty minutes after l ‐alanine infusion, I/G ratios were lower in preterm infants (1.26±0.14) than in term infants (1.71±0.25) (p±0.01). There was no relationship between the glycemic responses to l ‐alanine and the basal levels of d ‐BOHB. The data suggest that the glycemic effect of l ‐alanine infusion and circulating glucagon depends upon a specific stage in maturation. The antiketogenic effect of l ‐alanine infusion is observed in term infants as in adults.