All issues > Volume 28(12); 1985

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1985;28(12):1167-1176. Published online December 31, 1985.

A study on Glucose Metabolism in Newborn Infants.

Keun Chul Myung, Chang Soo Ra

¹Department of Pediatrics,College of Medicine,Chosun University, Kwangju, Korea

Abstract

Glucose metabolism in newborn infants has not been clearly defined. A thorough understanding of the physiology of glucose metabolism between mother and newborn infants is necessary in the evaluation of the newborn infant with hypoglycemia. Author studied the serum glucose, insulin, cyclic AMP and glucagon levels in 27 pairs of cord blood in newborn infant and maternal blood at paturition. Serum glucose, insulin, cyclic AMP and glucagon levels were measured by glucose oxidase method(Glucose-C Test Wako. Japan), Insulin RIA bead kit (Japan), cyclic AMP by RIA kit (U.S.A.), Glucagon RIA kit (Switzerland), respectively. The following results were obtained; 1)The mean serum glucose levels of cord blood of the newborn infants and maternal blood were 76.9土 10.4 mg/dl and 100.8±13 mg/dl, respectively. The differences of glucose level between newborn infants and mothers were statistically significant (p<0.001). The correlation of glucose levels between mother and newborn infants was significant (r=0.689, P<0.01). 2)The mean serum insulin levels of cord blood of the newborn infants and maternal blood were 6.7±4.0 AzU/ml and 10.4±10.6 ^U/ml, respectively. The differences of insulin level between newborn infants and mothers were statistically not significant (p>0.05). The correlation of insulin levels between mother and newborn infants was not significant (r=0.265, P>0.1). 3)The mean serum glucagon levels of cord blood of the newborn infant and maternal blood were 4.7±2.5 nmol/Z and 9.2±7.8 nmol/Z, respectively. The differences of cyclic AMP level between newborn infants and mothers were statistically significant (p>0.01). The correlation of cyclic AMP levels between and newborn infants was significant (r=0.683, P<0.05). 4)The mean serum glucagon levels of cord blood of the newborn infants and maternal blood were 45.3±56.1 pg/ml and 84.2±56.3 pg/ml, respectively. The differences of glucagon level between newborn infants and mothers were statistically significant (p<0.01). The correlation of glucagon levels between mother and newborn infants was significant (r=0.845, p<0.01). In conclusion, the above results suggested that cyclic AMP and glucagon of the maternal blood were transferred across the placenta barrier into the fetus and were also involved in the gluconeogenesis of the newborn infants.

Keywords :Glucose metabolism; Newborn infants