Violation of cellular energy in premature newborns with respiratory distress syndrome

We examined 48 premature newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and 20 healthy premature newborns. We determined the level of lactate and pyruvate in blood serum, as well as the activity of the Krebs cycle enzymes succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (α-GPhDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in peripheral blood lymphocytes using a quantitative cytochemical method by reaction with nitrofiolet tetrazolium. The development of RDS in premature newborns was accompanied by severe lactatacidosis on the background of hypoxemia and violations of bioenergetic processes at the cell level. These disorders were characterized by dissociation of the activity of peripheral blood lymphocyte dehydrogenases involved in the energy-forming process. There was a decrease in SDH and LDH activity with an increase in α-GPhDH activity in most newborns. To normalize the processes of bioenergy in infants with RDS, it is advisable to develop methods of pharmacological correction.