Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 30:11:1157689.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1157689. eCollection 2023.

Selenium status in term neonates, according to birth weight and gestational age, in relation to maternal hypertensive pathology

Teofana Otilia Bizerea-Moga  1   2 , Laura Pitulice  3   4 , Otilia Bizerea-Spiridon  3   4 , Claudiu Angelescu  5 , Otilia Mărginean  1   2 , Tudor Voicu Moga  6   7
Affiliations

Selenium status in term neonates, according to birth weight and gestational age, in relation to maternal hypertensive pathology

Teofana Otilia Bizerea-Moga et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy represents a state of increased oxidative stress and antioxidants, in which selenium (Se) plays a pivotal role, contribute to maintain the oxidative balance. If antioxidant defenses are depleted, placental function is disrupted, resulting in pregnancy complications, including pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Little is known about fetal selenium status in concomitant relation to maternal PIH, gestational age (GA) and birthweight (BW).

Methods: We examined over a 3-year period the serum (SeS) and urine selenium (SeU) status in term neonates from normotensive (nonPIH) and hypertensive (PIH) mothers as clinical markers of oxidative stress. In this retrospective observational study, 72 neonates with maternal PIH were matched for GA and BW to 72 neonates of normotensive mothers. Four groups were obtained, based on maternal PIH and BW relative to GA (appropriate-for-gestational-age-AGA, small-for-gestational-age-SGA): nonPIH-AGA (control group), nonPIH-SGA, PIH-AGA, and PIH-SGA.

Results: The results showed significant differences (p < 0.001) in selenium levels among the study groups: SeS - 44.85 ± 7.56 μg/L in nonPIH-AGA, 39.62 ± 11.42 μg/L in nonPIH-SGA, 40.01 ± 10.07 μg/L in PIH-AGA, and 25.39 ± 8.99 μg/L in PIH-SGA; SeU - 27.98 ± 7.99 μg/L in nonPIH-AGA, 22.85 ± 9.48 μg/L in nonPIH-SGA, 23.44 ± 6.73 μg/L in PIH-AGA, and 13.05 ± 5.86 μg/L in PIH-SGA. Selenium depletion was more common in neonates born from hypertensive mothers and those born small for gestational age. Though moderate in intensity, selenium levels were positively correlated with BW (0.319 for SeS, 0.397 for SeU) and negatively correlated with maternal systolic blood pressure (-0.313 for SeS, -0.324 for SeU). The main independent effects on SeS and SeU of each maternal blood pressure and birth weight turned out statistically significant. In interaction, a more pronounced effect was reached in PIH-SGA neonates.

Conclusion: Selenium status seemed to reflect the negative impact that PIH exerts in neonates during intrauterine development. Clinical markers of selenium status could thus be of great value for tracking responses of individuals to selenium supplementation as part of health improvement and harm mitigation approaches.

Keywords: birthweight; gestational age; neonate; oxidative stress; pregnancy-induced hypertension; selenium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT diagram of study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variation of SeS (A) and SeU (B) with BW in neonates from all study groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation of SeS with BW in neonates from normotensive mothers (A) and hypertensive mothers (B).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation of SeU with BW in neonates from normotensive mothers (A) and hypertensive mothers (B).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation of SeS (A) and SeU (B) with BPmat in neonates from all study groups.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Variation of SeS with BPmat in AGA neonates (A) and SGA neonates (B).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Variation of SeU with BPmat in AGA neonates (A) and SGA neonates (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Pappas AC, Zoidis E, Surai PF, Zervas G. Selenoproteins and maternal nutrition. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. (2008) 151(4):361–72. 10.1016/j.cbpb.2008.08.009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chao H-C. Impact of maternal selenium supplementation on neonates. PediatrNeonatology. (2012) 53(6):327–8. 10.1016/j.pedneo.2012.11.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boskabadi H, Maamouri G, Rezagholizade Omran F, Mafinejad S, Tara F, Rayman MP, et al. Effect of prenatal selenium supplementation on cord blood selenium and lipid profile. Pediatr Neonatol. (2012) 53(6):334–9. 10.1016/j.pedneo.2012.08.008 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pieczyńska J, Grajeta H. The role of selenium in human conception and pregnancy. J Trace Elem Med Biol. (2015) 29:31–8. 10.1016/j.jtemb.2014.07.003 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang Y, Roh YJ, Han SJ, Park I, Lee HM, Ok YS, et al. Role of selenoproteins in redox regulation of signaling and the antioxidant system: a review. Antioxidants (Basel). (2020) 9(5):383–99. 10.3390/antiox9050383 - DOI - PMC - PubMed