Oral L -arginine supplementation and faecal calprotectin levels in very low birth weight neonates

Objective:the objective of this study is to determine the potential effect of oral l-arginine supplementation on intestinal inflammation in very low birth weight (vlbw) neonates, as estimated by faecal calprotectin levels.study design:the study enrolled 83 vlbw neonates with birth weight ⩽1500 g and gestational age ⩽34 weeks. in this double-blind study, 40 neonates received daily oral l-arginine supplementation of 1.5 mmol kg−1 per day between the 3rd and 28th day of life, and 43 neonates placebo. stool samples were collected on days 3, 14 and 28, and calprotectin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.result:calprotectin values significantly decreased over time in both groups (p=0.032). no difference in faecal calprotectin values was recorded between neonates receiving arginine supplementation and neonates receiving placebo at days 3, 14 and 28.conclusion:faecal calprotectin values decrease with increasing postnatal age in vlbw infants, but this is not related to arginine supplementation.