| Abstract: | The number and affinity of glucocorticoid binding sites in lymphocytes of newborns and prematures were determined by a whole cell 3H]dexamethasone binding assay. The average binding capacities were as follows: 1758 +/- 245 binding sites/cell in cord blood, 2758 +/- 307 binding sites/cell in mature newborns (Kd: 6,23 X 10(-9) M), and 2031 +/- 330 binding sites/cell in prematures. No specific binding was measurable in several cases. All the prematures, who did not display a measurable glucocorticoid binding capacity, suffered from a serious hyaline membrane disease (HMD), they died on 3.5-4 days of life. HMD diagnosis was established in 12 cases in toto. The number of glucocorticoid binding sites was significantly smaller in this group (639 +/- 216 per cell) than in the case of the rest of prematures (2959 +/- 404 per cell, P less than 0.001). Our results suggest that lack of glucocorticoid receptors may be one of the causes of the HMD. |
