SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SPHINGOMYELIN CHANGES IN CORD BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES FOR THE ACTIVITY OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN PRETERM NEWBORNS

Abstract

Abstract.Different neuropsychical pathologies are revealed in preterm infants during the subsequent stages of ontogenesis. Violation of the phospholipids composition of cell membranes is one of the essential pathogenetic mechanisms of the psychoneurological pathology.Objective:to study the content of phospholipid fractions of cord blood lymphocytes in preterm infants at different gestation terms.The spectrumof phospholipids was determined by thin layer chromatography in 39 healthy full-term newborns and in 65 preterm children (28-36 weeks). We revealed an increased content of sphingomyelin in cord blood lymphocytes in preterm infants. The highest rates were found in children with a gestation term of less than 32 weeks (p = 0.004 compared with full-term infants). Sphingomyelin, unlike other phospholipids of cell membranes, is concentrated mainly in the brain, which indicates its special role for CNS activity.Recently, there has been formed the idea on the importance of lipid components of fat globule membranes of breast milk for optimal neurological development of children. Given the changes in the sphingomyelin content in the cell membranes of preterm newborns and its important structural and functional role for CNS activity, we believe that special attention should be paid to its content in the formulas for preterm infants among standard components.