TY - JOUR TI - Oral L-arginine supplementation and faecal calprotectin levels in very low birth weight neonates AU - Polycarpou, E. AU - Zachaki, S. AU - Papaevangelou, V. AU - Tsolia, M. AU - Kyriacou, A. AU - Kostalos, C. AU - Kafetzis, D. JO - Journal of Perinatology PY - 2013 VL - 33 TODO - 2 SP - 141-146 PB - SN - 0743-8346, 1476-5543 TODO - 10.1038/jp.2012.51 TODO - arginine; calgranulin; placebo, article; controlled study; double blind procedure; enteritis; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; feces analysis; feces level; gestational age; human; major clinical study; morbidity; mortality; newborn; supplementation; very low birth weight, Administration, Oral; Arginine; Biological Markers; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Drug Administration Schedule; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing; Feces; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; Male; Nitric Oxide; Prospective Studies; Reference Values; Sensitivity and Specificity; Treatment Outcome TODO - Objective:The objective of this study is to determine the potential effect of oral L-arginine supplementation on intestinal inflammation in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates, as estimated by faecal calprotectin levels.Study Design:The study enrolled 83 VLBW neonates with birth weight ≤1500 g and gestational age ≤34 weeks. In this double-blind study, 40 neonates received daily oral L-arginine supplementation of 1.5 mmol kg -1 per day between the 3rd and 28th day of life, and 43 neonates placebo. Stool samples were collected on days 3, 14 and 28, and calprotectin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Result:Calprotectin values significantly decreased over time in both groups (P=0.032). No difference in faecal calprotectin values was recorded between neonates receiving arginine supplementation and neonates receiving placebo at days 3, 14 and 28.Conclusion:Faecal calprotectin values decrease with increasing postnatal age in VLBW infants, but this is not related to arginine supplementation. © 2013 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. ER -