PRODUCTION OF ENDOTHELIN-1 INDUCED BY BLOOD-TRANSFUSION IN PREMATURE-INFANTS

We demonstrated a relationship between blood transfusion and plasma ET -1 levels in 10 premature infants with anemia. Changes in plasma ET-1 and lipoperoxide levels, blood pressure and available oxygen before an d after the blood transfusion were determined. Plasma ET-1 levels were significantly elevated after blood transfusion (before: 8.0+/-2.8; af ter: 15.7+/-5.4 pg/ml, p<0.01). A positive correlation was observed be tween plasma ET-1 levels and lipoperoxide levels (r=0.887, p<0.01). Th ere was a significant correlation between plasma ET-1 levels and trans fused blood volumes (r=0.758, p<0.01). No positive correlation was obs erved between plasma ET-1 levels and available oxygen. These results s uggest that blood transfusion may be a stimulator of ET-1 overproducti on and that it may lead to tissue injury through an endothelin-induced oxygen radical formation system.