SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is one of the primary causes of death of infants
in the first year of life. According to the WHO's data, the global infant mortality rate is
0.64–2 per 1,000 live-born children. Molecular and cellular aspects of SIDS
development have not been identified so far.
The purpose of this paper is to verify and analyze the expression of melatonin 1 and 2
receptors, serotonin (as a melatonin precursor), and CD34 molecules (as
hematopoietic and endothelial markers of cardiovascular damage) in the medulla,
heart, and aorta in infants who died from SIDS.
An immunohistochemical method was used to investigate samples of medulla, heart,
and aorta tissues of infants 3 to 9 months of age who died from SIDS. The control
group included children who died from accidents. It has been shown that the
expression of melatonin receptors as well as serotonin and CD34 angiogenesis
markers in tissues of the medulla, heart, and aorta of infants who died from SIDS is
statistically lower as compared with their expression in the same tissues in children
who died from accidents.
The obtained data allows to clarify in detail the role of melatonin and such signaling
molecules as serotonin and CD34 in SIDS pathogenesis, which can open new
prospects for devising novel methods for predictive diagnosis of development and
targeted prophylaxis of SIDS.