Marseglia Lucia, D'Angelo Gabriella, Manti Sara, Rulli Immacolata, Salvo Vincenzo, Buonocore Giuseppe, Reiter Russel J, Gitto Eloisa
Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 13;18(5):1053. doi: 10.3390/ijms18051053.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in brain damage and melatonin exhibits both direct and indirect antioxidant effects. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate serum melatonin levels in children with severe TBI in comparison to critically ill children admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for conditions other than TBI.
Twenty-four children were evaluated, equally divided into severe TBI and no-TBI. Blood samples for serum melatonin analysis were collected at 22:00, 01:00, 03:00, 05:00, 08:00, and 12:00.
Mean serum melatonin peaks in children of the TBI group were higher compared to the values of no-TBI critically ill children (495 ± 102 vs. 294 ± 119 pg/mL, = 0.0002). Furthermore, the difference was even more significant in comparison to values reported in literature for healthy age-matched children (495 ± 102 vs. 197 ± 71 pg/mL, < 0.0001).
This study has shown that endogenous serum melatonin levels dramatically increase in children after severe TBI. This elevation is likely to represent a response to oxidative stress and/or inflammation due to severe head injury.
创伤性脑损伤（TBI）是儿童死亡和残疾的主要原因。氧化应激在脑损伤中起重要作用，褪黑素具有直接和间接的抗氧化作用。本研究的主要目的是评估重度TBI患儿与因TBI以外的疾病入住儿科重症监护病房的危重症患儿的血清褪黑素水平。
对24名儿童进行评估，平均分为重度TBI组和非TBI组。在22:00、01:00、03:00、05:00、08:00和12:00采集血样进行血清褪黑素分析。
TBI组患儿的血清褪黑素平均峰值高于非TBI危重症患儿（495±102 vs. 294±119 pg/mL，P = 0.0002）。此外，与文献报道的年龄匹配的健康儿童的值相比，差异更为显著（495±102 vs. 197±71 pg/mL，P < 0.0001）。
本研究表明，重度TBI患儿内源性血清褪黑素水平显著升高。这种升高可能代表对严重头部损伤引起的氧化应激和/或炎症的反应。
