LEUKOTRIENES AND ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS PATTERNS IN CHILDREN WITH
SEVERE PROTEIN – ENERGY MALNUTRITION
Barakat SH, Madkour AA, Heiba DA, Jsmail HM*
Department of Pediatrics,
Department of Food Analysis Faculty of Medicine
Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
Objective : to investigate the roles
of leukotrienes (LTs) and essential fatty acids (EFA) in the
pathophysiology of severe protein – energy malnutrition (PEM) .
Methods: Blood cysteinyl LTs (LTC4, LTD4, LTE4) and
plasma EFA levels were measured (by ELISA and gas liquid chromatography
after plasma extraction respectively) in 40 severely malnourished children
with kwashiorkor (n=20) and marasmus (n=20). Normalby nourished children of
the same age (n= 10) served as controls.
Results : the cysteinyl LTs level was significantly higher in both
marasmic and kwashiorkor groups than in controls. The highest value was
detected in kwashiorkor group (P<0.05). The plasma fatty acid patterns
in malnourished children indicated changes characteristic of EFA defeciency,
with lower linoleic acid
(LA) , arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels,
accompanied by significantly higher oleic acid levels in both malnourished
groups . the lowest value of LA was detected in marasmic group and the
lowest levels of AA and DHA were in kwashiorkor group (P<0.05). There
was an inverse corrlation between AA level and LTs level (r= -0.74) in
children with PEM. Clinical problems associated with PEM such as hair and
skin changes, edema, psychomotor alteration and hepatomegaly were
significantly correlated directly with LTs level and in versely with AA
level.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested
that cysteingl LTs and EFA defecieney are involved in the pathophysiology
of PEM particularly kwashiorkor and that severe PEM is associated with
impaired FA desaturation and elongation pathway.