Role of oxidant injury in the pathogenesis of neonatal lung disease

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease that develops in newborn infants treated with oxygen and mechanical ventilation for a primary lung disorder. With significant improvements in survival of many critically ill infants, BPD has become an extremely important complication of newborn intensive care. The pathogenesis of BPD is complex and involves a variety of causative factors. However, increasing evidence has suggested that an oxidative insult could be an extremely important component of the injury process. Premature infants are especially sensitive to oxidant injury since they are exposed to supraphysiological concentrations of oxygen at birth while endogenous antioxidant enzyme activity may be relatively deficient. Conclusion: Superoxide dismutase is an antioxidant enzyme that has been shown in numerous basic and clinical studies to protect cells against oxidant injury.