• Halyna Pavlyshyn, Iryna Sarapuk, and Kateryna Kozak.
• I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, 1 Maydan Voli, 46001, Ternopil, Ukraine.
• Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. 2024 Mar 1; 136 (5-6): 146153146-153.

BackgroundMelatonin plays an important role in organism functioning, child growth, and development. Of particular importance is melatonin for preterm infants. The aim of our research was to study the peculiarities of melatonin levels depending on various factors in preterm infants with gestational age (GA) of less than 34 weeks.MethodsThe study involved 104 preterm infants with GA less than 34 weeks who were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The level of melatonin in urine samples was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsMelatonin concentration was significantly lower in extremely and very preterm infants compared to moderate preterm (3.57 [2.10; 5.06] ng/ml vs. 4.96 [3.20; 8.42] ng/ml, p = 0.007) and was positively correlated with GA (Spearman r = 0.32; p < 0.001). Positive correlations were revealed between melatonin levels and Apgar scores at the 1st (Spearman r = 0.31; p = 0.001) and 5th minutes after birth (Spearman r = 0.35; p < 0.001). Melatonin levels were lower in newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (p = 0.011). No significant correlations were found between melatonin concentration and birth weight (Spearman r = 0.15; p = 0.130). There were no associations of melatonin concentrations and mode of delivery (p = 0.914), the incidence of early-onset sepsis (p = 0.370) and intraventricular hemorrhages (p = 0.501), and mechanical ventilation (p = 0.090). The results of multiple regression showed that gestational age at birth was the most significant predictor of melatonin level in preterm infants (B = 0.507; p = 0.001).ConclusionGestational age and the Apgar score were associated with decreased melatonin levels in preterm infants. The level of melatonin in extremely and very preterm infants was lower compared to moderate preterm infants.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.

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