Evidence of Oxidative Stress in Relation to Feeding Type During Early Life in Premature Infants

Morbidity in the premature (PT) infant may reflect difficult adaptation to oxygen. We hypothesized that feeding including formula feeding (F) and feeding mother's milk (HM) with added fortifier would affect redox status. Therefore, 65 PT infants (birth weight: 1146 +/- 261 g; GA: 29 +/- 2.5 wk; mean +/- SD) were followed biweekly, once oral feeds were introduced. Feeding groups: F (>75% total feeds) and HM (>75% total feeds) were further subdivided according to human milk fortifier (HMF) content of 0-19, 20-49, and >= 50%. Oxidative stress was quantified by F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) in urine, protein carbonyls, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in plasma. F2-IsoPs (ng/mg creatinine): 0-2 wk, 125 +/- 63; 3-4 wk, 191 +/- 171; 5-6 wk, 172 +/- 83; 7-8 wk, 211 +/- 149; 9-10 wk, 222 +/- 121; and >10 wk, 183 +/- 67. Protein carbonyls from highest [2.41 +/- 0.75 (n = 9)] and lowest [2.25 +/- 0.89 (n = 12) pmol/mu g protein] isoprostane groups did not differ. ORAC: baseline, 6778 +/- 1093; discharge, 6639 +/- 735 [full term 4 and 12 M, 9010 +/- 600 mg (n = 12) TE]. Highest isoprostane values occurred in infants with >50% of their mother's milk fortified. Further research on HMF is warranted. (Pediatr Res 69: 160-164, 2011)