Endogenous digoxin-like factor in neonates: Effect of age and relation to serum bilirubin levels

Endogenous digoxin-like immunoreactive factor(s) (DLIF) have been found in serum and urine of newborn infants, including those born prematurely. We assessed the effect of age on serum levels of DLIF in 73 samples obtained from 66 healthy full term newborn infants at birth and during the first two months of life. DLIF concentrations were highest at birth and fell progressively with age. In cord blood, DLIF levels were 0.73 ± 0.35 ng/ml (mean ± SD). DLIF concentrations were 0.45 ± 0.11 ng/ml on day 1, 0.26 ± 0.08 ng/ml on day 3, 0.19 ± 0.07 ng/ml on day 5, 0.17 ± 0.09 ng/ml on day 11, 0.11 ± 0.02 ng/ml on days 15-30, and not detectable after 45 days of life. We also studied the relation between serum levels of DLIF and bilirubin in 23 jaundiced newborns between 3-5 days of life. We found a highly significant positive correlation between serum bilirubin concentrations and DLIF. These findings support the assumption that DLIF plays a role in impeding bilirubin excretion in the neonatal period, perhaps by inhibiting the activity of (Na-K)ATPase.