Increased Gluconeogenic Substrates in the Small-for-Gestational-Age Infant

Abstract

Five normal and 11 small-for-gestational-age infants had blood glucose, lactate, pyruvate, ketone bodies, glycerol, amino acids, cortisol, growth hormone and insulin measured during the first 24 hours of life. At two hours of age, plasma glucose of the small-for-gestational-age infants was significantly lower than that of the normal infants (39.8 ± 5.0 vs. 57 ± 3.5 mg per 100 ml, mean ± S.E.M., p<0.05). Samples of umbilical-cord and venous blood at two and 24 hours contained more lactate and alanine in the small-for-gestational-age than in the normal infants. When all infants were considered, significant inverse correlations were found between glucose and lactate (p<0.01) and glucose and alanine (p<0.05) at two hours of age. In samples of umbilical-cord blood, and those obtained at two hours of age, all potential gluconeogenic amino acids entering at pyruvate were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in small-for-gestational-age infants as compared to normal infants.