Total antioxidant and total oxidant states, and serum paraoxonase-1 in neonatal sepsis

Background Paraoxonase‐1 (PON‐1) is an enzyme with a glycoprotein structure that depends on calcium and which is located in serum high‐density lipoprotein (HDL). The aim of this study was to evaluate PON‐1, and oxidant/antioxidant state, before and after treatment for neonatal sepsis, and to determine the usability of PON‐1 in neonatal sepsis treatment. Methods A total of 35 neonatal sepsis patients and 35 healthy controls were included in the study. Activity of PON‐1, total oxidant state (TOS) and total antioxidant state (TAS) were measured and oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Results In the neonatal sepsis patients, pre‐treatment TAS, TOS and OSI were significantly higher than the post‐treatment levels (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively), and PON‐1 was significantly lower (P < 0.0001). Similarly, pre‐treatment TAS, TOS and OSI in the sepsis group were also significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively) and PON‐1 was significantly lower (P < 0.0001). Post‐treatment TAS in the sepsis group was significantly higher than in the control group (P = 0.009), whereas post‐treatment TOS, OSI and PON‐1 in the sepsis group were not significantly different to the control group (P = 0.078, P = 0.597 and P = 0.086, respectively). Conclusion Low serum PON‐1 was found in neonatal sepsis. Serum PON‐1 is thought to be a useful biomarker to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and recovery in neonatal sepsis.