CREATINE KINASE ISOENZYME-BB CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SERA OF ASPHYXIATED NEWBORN INFANTS AND THE EFFECT OF MAGNESIUM ADMINISTRATION ON ITS LEVEL

Abstract

Perinatal asphyxia is the single most important perinatal cause of neurologic morbidity in newborn infants.

CK-BB isoenzyme is the only CK isoenzyme present in brain cells, therefore damage to these cells might produce measurable amounts ofCK-BB in the serum.

In perinatal asphyxia the blood brain barrier becomes more permeable and permits the passage ofCK-BB isoenzymes into the blood stream. CK-BB isoenzymes have attracted attention as a possible predictor of the extent of brain damage.

An acute hypoxic-ischemic insult initiates a cascade of biochemical events which lead over the course of hours or even days to irreversible neuronal injury. Glutamate is an excitatory amino acid released in excess during hypoxic-ischemic insults leads to over-activity of neurons. Magnesium acts as a glutamate receptor antagonist and increasing the extracellular magnesium concentration may protect the brain from NMDA receptor mediated damage.