All issues > Volume 32(9); 1989

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1989;32(9):1202-1209. Published online September 30, 1989.

A Study of Milk β-Glucuronidase Activity in Breast Milk Associating with Neonatal Jaundice.

Soo Chun Kim¹, Chong Woo Bae¹, Yong Mook Choi¹, Chang Il Ahn¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea

Received: February 20, 1989;  Accepted: April 20, 1989.

Abstract

Since the 1960s, several reports have been presented to explain how the ingestion of human milk is related to neonatal jaundice. Recently, the jaundiced neonates whose mother’s milk contain sub- stances (eg, pregnane 3a, 20β-diol, lipoprotein lipase, free fatty acid, β-glucuronidase etc) facilitating the reabsorption of unconjugated bilirubin in the neonatal intestine through the enhancement of the enterohepatic circulation, were called the breast milk jaundice syndrome. To evaluate the relation between the effect of β-glucuronidase activity in maternal milk and the appearance of breast milk jaundice, this study were undertaken. The β-glucuronidase activity in breast milk was measured in 50 cases of breast milk jaundice group (study group) and 53 cases of normal control group along with serum bilirubin concentration in breast milk jaundice group. The results were as follows; 1) In breast milk jaundice group, the peak total bilirubin concentration was 15.0-19.9 mg/dl which was most common (20 cases, 40.0%). 2) In breast milk jaundice gorup, the appearance of peak serum bilirubin concentration was the age group of 7 to 13 days of life which was most common. 3) Average enzymatic activity of ^-glucuronidase was 10.64 ±6.76 n mole/ml in breast milk jaun- dice gorup, whereas it was 6.25 ±4.23 n mole/min/ml in control group. So this enzymatic activity in breast milk jaundice group is significantt, statistically (p< 0.001). 4) The relationship betweeen increase of total bilirubin concentration in neonates and increase of β-glucuronidase activity in maternal milk was not significant, statistically (p>0.05). Therefore, it is suggested that β-glucuronidase play a role of developing jaundice in breast milk jaundiced neonates.

Keywords :β-Glucuronidase, Breast milk jaundice, Hyperbilirubinemia of newborn